Too Weary of Life and Deception
by amazinglion29
Summary: Yuri Katsuki was weary of his idol Viktor Nikiforov after his first and failed attempt at the Grand Prix Final, but not for the reasons you would think. He had met the man the night before and it was just his luck that Viktor was drunk. Of course he never thought of the results of that night, and it took five years to be able to face his family with a surprise in his hands.
1. A Night Unexpected

Yuri Katsuki sighed as he walked down the street back to his hotel where he was staying. He finished a little run to get rid of his stress so that he could get a fitful sleep before his competition the next day. It definitely had cleared his head, and he seemed more relaxed than he felt before any other competition.

He pulled out his phone, checking the time and noticing just how late it was. It was already midnight and he had yet to eat anything for dinner. Sighing in discontent as his stomach growled loudly, he looked around him on the street.

'The hotel lobby won't be serving dinner this late at night, all the food would have been put up by now,' he thought to himself. 'Where is a close place to here that I can eat something this late at night?'

It took a few moments before his eyes landed on a hot pot place that looked like it was still open. His eyes lit up as the smell of food from its interior finally wafted into his nose. He checked both sides of the road, waiting as a few cars passed before jogging across and pushing open the doors.

To his surprise, he wasn't the only competitive figure skater out this late and eating. In fact, he could practically see everyone that was competing. Christophe Giacometti was sitting with a few other rink skaters, and they all seemed to be having a great time, even though they weren't eating anything. The only person that Yuri didn't see with the group was Viktor Nikiforov.

'Figures. A world champion of quite a few years knows a thing or two about sleeping right before a competition.'

He was startled when someone grabbed his arm and jerked him to the side, dragging him to one of the booths in the diner. He was forced into one side of the booth and the person who dragged him sat on the other side, putting his head in his hands and smiling joyfully at him.

'Or not.'

"V-Viktor?" Yuri stuttered out in surprise.

"Yuri~! Your short preformance today really got me going!" Viktor began, a slight slur in his words. "It was really too bad that you were unable to land all of your jumps. The preformance would have been that much better."

Yuri watched uncertainly as Viktor took a bite of fish and smiled happily. "Vkusno!"

Upon closer inspection, Yuri had gathered that his idol was drunk and eating raw fish foods the night before a competition, both of which were not very safe before the Grand Prix Final.

"V-Viktor," Yuri began, adjusting his glasses slightly as he gained the Russian skater's attention. "A-Are you sure you should be eating and drinking as you are the night before the free skate?"

"This is nothing to really worry about," Viktor stated and waved his hand up and down. "I do this every night before a competition."

'R-Really?' Yuri thought, surprised. His eyes widened slightly and he fidgeted in his seat.

"You should eat, Yuri!" Viktor announced, pointing to the sea of food on the table in front of them. "This is why you came in here, is it not?" The Russian skater tilted his head to the side with a questioning look on his face, his electric blue eyes staring curiously into Yuri's warm brown ones.

Yuri nodded his head, uncertainly looking down at his food choices. He knew that the raw fishes would definitely mess with his preformance the next day and anything too heavy would cause him to gain unnecessary weight and be unable to wear his costume the next day. So he had to chose something light or just decline the offer and order something himself.

Surprisingly, he found what looked like greek yogurt near the end of the table. It was something light, and it appeared to have strawberries in it, which were also great for the skin. He looked at it for a moment before turning back to Viktor.

"U-Um... can I eat that yogurt?" he asked, a light film of red coating his cheeks and spreading across the top of his nose.

Viktor blinked a couple of times at him, moving and placing his hand on top of Yuri's. "Is that really all you want?"

Yuri's entire face lit up in red and he quickly removed his hand from Viktor's and nodded his head, his glasses going a skew. Viktor just smiled at him and nodded his head.

"Sure! If that's what you want," he replied before taking a drink from his cup and sighing as a woozy effect over took his form.

Yuri ate silently, feeling awkward as Viktor stared at him. Neither spoke, which caused Yuri to shrink a little in his seat. Who would have thought that meeting his idol would be during such and awkward situation?

As he was finishing his yogurt, Yuri found that the other skaters were leaving the diner and it was now only him and Viktor inside. Yuri noticed Christophe look over to the two of them, smiling slightly before exiting.

This caused Yuri to sigh, hoping that the elder figure skater wasn't going to take this the wrong way. He eyes flicked over to a nearby clock and widened as he saw where the hour hand was.

'How is this place still open?' Yuri wondered as he noticed that the time was nearing half past midnight.

He put the empty yogurt cup down, and he was startled when Viktor's thumb suddenly caught the bottom in his chin. The Russian male leaned awfully close to his face and smiled seductively down at him. Yuri was so entrance in the look that he found he couldn't pull away. He felt that just by the look he was getting alone he would become pregnant. It was as if no gender rules applied to the man right in front of him and he couldn't tear himself away.

Viktor flicked his tongue out of his mouth, licking right beside Yuri's lips where there was a little bit of yogurt left over. Yuri's face got really red and he pulled back furiously, staring wide eyed at Viktor.

"Eh? Why are you running away?" the silver haired man asked, tweaking an eyebrow. "There was just a little bit of yogurt on your face and I was kindly getting it for you."

"I'm sorry," Yuri replied on impulse, sitting back up completely in his seat as Viktor returned to his original position.

"Why are you apologizing?" Viktor asked.

"I-I..." To be quite honest, Yuri didn't know. He fiddled with his thumbs in his lap, looking at his hands instead of Viktor.

To this, Viktor chuckled.

"Haha~, you're kind of cute," he voiced, putting his hand on his cheek and leaning on the table. He gave Yuri an adorable closed eyed smile, even though the latter didn't notice.

Yuri hardly spared a glance up at the male before standing up. He bowed towards Viktor, thanking him for the yogurt and for offering to let them eat together. Well, Yuri was practically dragged, but that didn't matter very much.

"It was very kind of you to give me something to eat, but I really must be going so that I may get enough rest for the competition." Yuri stood up straight, beginning to walk towards the entrance of the diner when Viktor slid his hand into Yuri's and stopped the younger man in his tracks. Yuri turned to look at the Russain male, who smiled at him happily.

"Let me walk with you back to your room!" Viktor announced excitedly.

Not knowing what else to do, Yuri removed himself from Viktor's grip quickly and nodded his head, a red coat of blush covering his skin.

The walk itself was very quiet, except for when Viktor would hum to himself with a bright smile or when he nearly walked into the road right in front of a car. The car hadn't even attempted to stop, and if Yuri hadn't stopped Viktor himself, there wouldn't have been one less skater to compete against the next day.

When they reached Yuri's room, Yuri turned to say good night to Viktor when he was brushed past by the Russain. He watched in shock as Viktor grabbed his arm and dragged him one room over and inside of it. When the door was closed behind them, Yuri found himself inside of Viktor's hotel room for their stay there and he was unsure of the reason he was brought inside.

"Um... Viktor? I really have to be going to sleep in my room or I won't be prepared for the competition tomorrow."

"Ah, relax!" Viktor replied nonchalantly and motioned for Yuri to follow him. "I just wanted to have a little fun before we retire for the night! You wouldn't mind that, would you?" Viktor looked back at Yuri with wide, seemimgly innocent eyes. Yuri hesitated before he began to follow the Russian to the bedroom.

"I-I guess, but I can't be up too much later," Yuri whispered in reply.

.:":.

~for resons, the next part of the story will not be posted at this time. It will be revealed at some point, though, so look forward to that! Sorry for teasing you guys like this...~

.:":.

Yuri scrambled to pull on his clothes, rushing to put his jacket over his form and zip it up. His face was beet red and he fumbled with his shoes, not even trying to tie the laces. He grabbed his glasses, which lay haphazardly on the ground beside Victor's bed and placed them over his eyes.

He made a move towards the door, stopping momentarily to look back at Viktor. The Russian skater was sound asleep, the white bedsheets wrapped tightly around his naked body and an equally white pillow cuddled in his grasp.

'How could he possible sleep after what he just did to me?' Yuri asked himself, tears threatening to spill from the corners of his eyes and he turned, ripping the door open and racing through the room and out into the hallway of the hotel.

He looked around, sighing in relief as he noticed that nobody was out and about. He made his way quickly to the next room over, opening the door and closing it shut behind him. He leaned againts it and sighed, looking down at his hands and noticing that they were quivering.

The tears in his eyes finally fell out, landing in his palms as he brought his hands to his face. Silent sobs cascaded through his body and he slid down the door, plopping on the ground. He brought his legs up to his chest and put is forehead on his knees, wrapping his arms around his legs and crying from the pain in his mind, body, heart, and soul.

.:":.

"What are you doing lying on the floor in front of your door? The competition is going to start in an hour and I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Yuri opened his eyes, drowsiness causing his movements to become sluggish. He propped himself up on his hands and looked up at the familiar face of his coach. The man stared down at him disapprovingly with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Celestino?" he asked groggily, the feeling that he did something horribly wrong dragging him down to the floor again and making him feel like he was going to throw up. For some reason, he felt immeasurable guilt, but he didn't quite underatand why.

That is, until the memory of the night before resurfaced back in his half-consious mind.

The memory honestly did make him feel like he wanted to throw up, but he forced down the horrible feeling and picked himself up off the ground. He looked down at his hands, the fatigue in his body causing them to shake.

"You look like you barely got a wink of sleep last night!" Celestino reprimanded. "Do you know how important it is for a skater to sleep? You won't be able to compete to your fullest potential looking like that!"

Yuri didn't say anything, only looked at the time on his phone and his eyes widened.

"We have to go Celestino!" Yuri frantically called, changing into his Free Skate outfit as quickly as possible and racing through the halls of the hotel.

By the time they made it to the rink, the second preformance was already finished. Christophe Giacometti was winking at the crowd and waving before turning and leaving the rink. When he saw Yuri, he made his way over to the younger male and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Where were you Yuri?" the male asked the tired looking Japanese. "You weren't there for the practice on ice and the news camera's were going to everyone they could and asking to see you so they could ask about how you feel about your Grand Prix Free Skate. To be honest, it made me a little jealous that they wouldn't ask me."

"I'm sorry Christophe, " Yuri apologized, bowing politely to the man. "Celestino actually woke me up not too long ago and we just didn't get here fast enough."

Christophe looked over Yuri, his eyes immediately noticing the dark bags underneath the chocolate brown eyes. He put his face close to Yuri's and grabbed the boy's chin, looking him over.

"You make it sound as if you've been sleeping for a long time, but it looks like you got very little sleep at all. Hmm..." he brought his face closer and his eyes widened slightly. "It also looks as if you were crying as well. What happened Yuri?"

Yuri jumped back, waving his hands frantically in front of him and shaking his head. "I'm fine, I'm fine! Really! I'm just a little nervous is all."

" Up next is Yuri Katsuki of Japan to preform his free skate. "

Christophe looked down at Yuri worriedly as the boy made his way to the rink. "Good luck, Yuri."

"Thank you," Yuri replied, sitting and quickly lacing his skates, giving his glasses to Celestino before taking the ice.

.:":.

Yuri ended the call to his family, putting his face in his hands and crying to himself.

He failed them. He failed Celestino. He failed Japan and the Grand Prix. He even failed himself.

He couldn't land a single one of his jumps perfectly, either over rotating or just falling, and he was unable to stay in tune with the music. It was pathetic and he knew the reason why he hadn't been able to preform as well as he had wanted. It was because of his idol, that's why he was unable to achieve what he wanted.

As much as he hated to admit it, it was all Viktor's fault that he failed as miserably as he had. The night before had really messed with his mind, and Viktor had the audacity to skate as perfectly as ever! Winning first as he had the years before without so much as a discomforted look on his part.

Did he not even remember what he had done to Yuri at all?

He jumped when a loud bang attacked the stall he was in, effectively opening it and revealing an angered blond male. Yuri quikly stood and moved to where he was near the ouside of the stall, getting a closer look at the male.

'Yuri Plisetsky! The Russian punk who won gold in the junior Grand Prix Finals!'

He noticed that Plisetsky had been yelling at him, but he didn't even catch anything that was thrown his way. Yuri knew for sure, though, that with the angered expression on the young Russian's face, he was supposed to be on the recieving end of some pretty heavy insults.

But there was one insult that was pretty clear.

"BAKA!"

It was shouted with such force and anger that Yuri's glasses were now tipping sideways on his nose. He was surprised that Plisetsky's jaw hadn't been ripped off from his own insult, but he didn't have any time to respond before the Russian clicked his tongue and left the bathroom.

Yuri sighed to himself, shaking his head and taking off his glasses. He walked to the sink, placing them on top of it before turning the water on. The cool water was splashed onto his face, removing the heat his skin had gained from crying. He looked at his reflection with slightly unfocused eyes, noticing the redness of his cheeks almost back to their original color. But there was no mistaking the slight tinge of red that was always in his eyes after he cried.

Hopefully no one would notice. He just had to make sure they didn't stare at him for too long.

He walked from the bathroom, placing his glasses back on his face. No one stopped to speak to him and he was able to keep his gaze down cast so they wouldn't have been able to look into his eyes. It was a feeling of relief he was dieing to feel since the night before.

The lobby of the stadium was crowded though, and it took him a while to shuffle his way through the mass of people. He bumped into people on accident and there were even a few people who stopped him and asked for his autograph. He was definitely surprised that, even though he completely bombed his performance, there were still people who supported him.

There were even fans who dared to ask what was bothering him, because they somehow knew that something horrible must have happened for him to have skated the way he did. Of course, even though he had to come up with an excuse on the spot, he was able to veer them away by saying that his poodle, Vicchan, passed away the night before and it really brought him down.

It wasn't so much of a lie, but it wasn't the truth either. Yes, Vicchan had passed away during his time away from his home and he was unable to see his dog one last time before Vicchan had left, but there was extra pain that was added to it.

Pain he hated thinking about. Pain that he hated experiencing. Pain he never thought would be forced onto him.

But, even after all of this time blaming Viktor for everything that happened today, he found that he didn't even hate the man. He couldn't even bring himself dislike Viktor. Something told him that Viktor really didn't understand anything that he was doing last night, and knew that it was an affect from drinking way too much. But he felt like being stubborn and holding it against Viktor, even though he didn't hate him.

Well, it was because of that stubborness that what happened later truly shocked him to his very core.

.:":.


	2. Given Something to Reflect on

Yuri walked down the street, rubbing his hands together since they were freezing in the cold weather. He had forgotten to put on a pair of gloves before he left the apartment he had rented, but the fact that he was feeling as hot as the sun itself made him feel that he wouldn't need it.

Sometimes he just wished that he could always take back the stupid decisions that he's made.

He had cut ties with Celestino immediately after failing at Japan's nationals about four months after the Grand Prix Final. He felt that if he were to stay under the guidance of such a great coach, he would only hold the man back. He didn't want that, so he decided to tell Celestino that he no longer wished to skate competitive figure skating.

Of course, when he said that, Celestino was able to see through him. It was obvious that his coach knew he really didn't want to quit figure skating competitively, but he accepted that he would no longer be Yuri's coach and said his farewells to his student.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the reason that he was walking out in the cold like he was. He was walking because he felt like he was about ready to die. His stomach has been causing him problems and he found that he went back to his habit of eating a plentiful amount of food. He had been gaining weight like a madman, which wasn't much of a surprise considering all the things he's been eating, and he felt like the weight was more of something warm inside of his abdomen instead of being stuffed with food.

Because of this strange feeling, Yuri decided that he would go to a doctor to get it checked out. He had thought of going to a normal doctor's office, but the hospital was much closer than the doctor's office, so he was heading there instead.

The medical center came into his line of sight, and he found that his pace had quickened. He was eager to find out that nothing was hopefully wrong with him so that he can go back to practicing a routine he had been trying to copy for a while.

It just so happens that the performance on ice was none other than a program choreographed by Viktor Nikiforov at the Grand Prix Finals.

The memory of what happened between him and Viktor was still fresh in Yuri's thoughts, but he didn't resent Viktor in the slightest. In fact, he came to accept what had happened to him and he found that, even though he had been resisting to an extent, he was actually able to admit to only himself that he had enjoyed what he experienced, even though he doesn't like replaying the memory. He may not have at the time, but looking back on it, he found that he did, indeed, feel like he had mattered to Viktor that night, even if the man himself was only just drunk.

Yuri's stomach gave an uncomfortable jolt, causing his thoughts to halt. He furrowed his eyebrows and closed his eyes, walking into the hospital with the look of discomfort still in his features. He talked to the lady that was at the front desk, stating that he had made an appointment with one of the doctors there. Once it was confirmed that he did, the lady asked him to wait in the waiting room for said doctor to come and get him to be looked over.

Yuri sat in the surprisingly comfortable chairs, bouncing his leg up and down and fiddling with his thumbs. He leaned forward in his seat, clasping his hands together and placing them right in front of his mouth, allowing them to rest there for the remainder of the time he waited.

It was a few minutes later that he heard his name called. Yuri looked up, relief flooding his system as he realized that the doctor he requested was, in fact, the one that he had when he was young in Hasetsu.

The man's name was Oliver Sizushima. He had been working in Hasetsu as a doctor and he was everyone's favorite man to visit when they needed a check-up. Yuri knew that Oliver had loved being in Hasetsu and tending to the people there, but he was called away on a transfer to work at a major hospital and was forced to leave area. Since then, Oliver had visited Hasetsu, but only a few times to meet up with the people of the town.

Oliver walked over to Yuri as the younger male stood up from his seat. Yuri took notice that the man's once blonde hair had now been completely covered over in gray and a few stress wrinkles were boding on his forehead. But, to his relief, the same cheerful smile that the man wore when he saw Yuri was still present.

"It's been a while since I've seen you, Yuri," Oliver greeted with familiarity, bowing as Yuri did the same.

"It's nice to see you again Dr. Sizushima," Yuri replied in a relieved tone.

"It's always great to see you Yuri," Oliver replied, smiling at the boy before walking away and beckoning for Yuri to follow. "I heard that after the World Grand Prix Final, you lost a bit of resolve and flunked nationals."

Yuri blushed deeply and put a hand behing his head, rubbing his head sheepishly while nodding. "I guess you could say that."

"I'm sorry that I wasn't able to watch any of your preformances," Oliver replied, leading Yuri into one of the rooms and closing the door. "Work was really backed up for a time each time your competition came around."

"To be honest, I'm actually glad you hadn't seen the preformances," Yuri replied, sitting on the bed in the room and looking down at his legs. "You would have been very disappointed if you had."

"I doubt I'd have been disappointed in your preformance, Yuri," Oliver replied as he grabbed some equipment from the closet in the far end of the room. "I may have been more... unnerved than disappointed."

"Wouldn't that be worse than being disappointed in me?" Yuri asked in an exasperated tone, frowning at the doctor.

"No, because being disappointed would mean that I wouldn't have known you enough to know that you'd be nervous and had expected way better than what you had shown. Unnerved is more like me knowing what was going on and worrying on how it would affect you in the long run."

Yuri nodded his head, the idea kind of making sense to him. He watched as the doctor plugged the equipment into the wall for power and turned on the overhead projector. He watched the light flash green before the light reflected on the wall, showing a deep, black picture.

Oliver took something out from a cabinet nearby, squirting a clear substance into his hands and rubbing them together before walking over to Yuri.

"Lift your shirt for me," Oliver ordered. "You told me that you had been having some problems with your stomach when you contacted the hospital, so I'm going to do an ultrasound on your stomach to make sure that there are no worrying tumors or cancers. If that isnt the problem, then after that I'll take some blood tests and see what we can find."

Yuri complied, unzipping his black jacket and lifting his shirt, showing his slightly rounded out stomach. He stared at it in a distasteful manner before sighing, accepting that it was an inevitable feature that he was bound to aquire at some point if it wasn't now.

The liquid gel on Dr. Sizushima's hands rubbed smoothly all over his abdomen, causing him to shiver as the air quickly cooled it on his skin. He looked up at the doctor as he pulled a device that looked like a flat white microphone, turning it on and placing it over the gel and gliding it across his stomach.

"Give it a few minutes to gather a clear enough picture and we'll see what's going on," Oliver inquired as he began to alowly massage Yuri's stomach with the device while looking up at the projected image begining to appear on the wall.

They sat in silence as the picture began to grow clearer. First, they were able to see his lungs and stomach quite clearly and the top half of the intestines began to show. The bottom half was being blocked by something, and it caused the doctor to furrow his eyebrows in concern as he began to focus on that area of Yuri's body.

Yuri, noticing the same thing that Oliver had, focused his eyes on the screen and biting his bottom lip. The picture began to come clear, and it caused Yuri to look at it in confusion.

Just what was it that was in there?

Oliver, on the other hand, widened his eyes and stared in disbelief at the picture before him. If it wasn't in front of his own eyes, he would have never believed anyone who had told him this was possible. He could clearly see the head of a body with the arms wrapped across the chest, still attached to the skin of the stomach, with webbed fingers. Little legs were out on the bottom of the larger mass, still connected together as if it were a mermaid, but still able to move freely enough to kick out.

It should have been impossible, but it's true. It was fetus inside of Yuri.

A real, developing child.

Oliver took some quick pictures of the ultrasound at many different angles before turning it off and removing the device from Yuri's stomach. He handed Yuri a cloth to wipe off the gel, staring at the boy who he had helped his mother deliver and thought quietly to himself. He rubbed his face with his hands, placing his head in them and thinking of how he was supposed to tell the oblivious boy that he's pregnant.

The doctor ran his hand through his gray mass of hair, sighing before looking up at Yuri. The figure skater was loking at him expectantly, knowing the doctor had found what was wrong and seemed eager to know what was going on.

'I'm getting too old for this, ' Oliver though to himself before standing and going over to the computer in the room, printing the ultrasound pictures and walking back over to Yuri and standing in front of the boy. He handed Yuri the pictures and began his explination.

"Yuri, I can assure you that, given the circumstances, the way you were acting towards your symptoms is completely understandable," he began, causing Yuri to frown in confusion, but nod his head nonetheless. "I can also assure you that, although this can be a bit worrying since you are a male, nothing life threatening is wrong with you. It just that you condition is... peculiar and has never been seen before."

To Yuri, it was quite obvious that the doctor wanted to go around his condition, but knew quite well that Yuri deserved to know what was wrong. The fact that it wasn't life threatening caused Yuri to sag his shoulders in relief, waiting to find out what the rest of the explination was.

Oliver sighed, rubbing the side of his face and closing his momentarily.

"What I'm trying to say is that, even though this should be impossible since your a male, you are... pregnant," the doctor hesitated slightly at the end, forcing the final word out of his mouth, watching in worry for Yuri's reaction.

The words hadn't fully registered in Yuri's mind and he found his eyes traveling down to the ultrasound pictures in his hands. His eyes scanned over each one, identifying the chubby leggs and feet with the arms crossed over the chest and the little baby head at the top of the small mass.

As he stared at it, the final word that his doctor had said finally made a connection somewhere in his mind.

His eyes widened slightly in horror and wonder as he stared up at his childhood doctor, not knowing what he should say or do. His arm that held the picture began to shake and he moved his free hand down to his stomach, tracing his fingers lightly over it. The weight their suddenly didn't seem so much of a burden anymore as it had, but it instead felt warm and welcoming. It was as if it was accepting him for finally recognizing what it was and was sending warmth and love up to his fingertips.

He blinked his eyes in wonder, casting his gaze to where he could look at his stomach where the baby bump was showing.

"I'm... pregnant?" he whispered in disbelief, looking back up at Oliver. "I'm pregnant," he stated without any doubt, but with confusion and wonder. He was a male, yet he was pregnant? How was that even possible? Biologically it wasn't. Physically, it was impossible.

Spiritually? Given there were certain connections between the two souls, I guess it would work.

"I just have one question, Yuri," Oliver began. "You seem to be about five months pregnant, so I'm not sure if you remember because you were drunk or that it was such a long time ago, but do you know who the father is?"

Yuri looked down at his hands, biting his bottom lip as he remembered.

'*FLASHBACK*

"Yuri~." Viktor whispered seductively into the younger males ear, their naked bodies rubbing against each other as he had Yuri trapped beneath him. "Don't hold back on me! I'd love to be able to hear your voice~."

Viktor's soft hair brushed against Yuri's face as the man moved his head and began to lick Yuri's neck, leaving small, subtle kisses every once in a while.

It was all Yuri could do not to let out a moan of pleasure. He was biting his lip so hard that he had drawn blood and his grip on the sheets had tightened ever further as Viktor's fingers began to trail lightly down his arms and sides. Shivers trailed up and down his body at the contact and he found that strangled sounds began to erupt in his throat. It was already bad enough that his body was responding to Viktor's touch, and it was bad that his heart seemed to long for the man in some way, but his mind seemed to want to refuse and fight the urges.

He didn't want Viktor to continue, but he wouldn't have been able to pull away had he tried. The man was much bigger and stronger than he was, so he was trapped beneath a highly aroused Viktor Nikiforov with no way to escape.

"Mmm, you're almost there Yuri~!" Viktor spoke in his ear again, staring at the man beneath him with piercing, lust filled bright blue eyes. "Just open your mouth and let me her those beautiful sounds in their fullest!"

Viktor moved to the soft, tender skin connecting Yuri's neck to his shoulder and collarbone, biting down on it and sucking softly.

This time, even Yuri biting his own lip couldn't stop any sound that escaped him. He cried out, his mouth opened wide as waves of pleasure coursed through his body.

"Yuri!" Viktor stated happily, panting harshly and smiling brightly down at the boy. "Your voice sounds like angels singing in my ears! I'd love it if I would be able to hear that music more often~!"

*END OF FLASHBACK*'

Yuri nodded his head, stopping the memory before it could go any further.

"Would you be comfortable telling me who it is?" Oliver asked, sitting back down in the chair next to the boy.

Yuri sat quietly for a few moments, his eyes looking everywhere besides his doctor. The moments dragged on before Yuri finally looked his doctor in the eyes.

"Promise you won't tell anyone?" he began. "If this got out to the public, his career would be ruined. I doubt he even remembers doing anything to me since he was the one who was drunk that night."

"I promise to keep this confidential," Oliver swore, nodding his head in agreement.

Yuri sighed, running his hand through his hair while looking down at the pictures again.

"Viktor Nikiforov."

.:":.

The silver haired Russian skater sneezed in the middle of doing a quadruple lutz, causing his balance to tip and for him to fall down on the ice. He wiped his nose, standing back on his skates as Yakov began shouting at him. Viktor completely ignored the words being thrown at him and skated to the edge if the rink.

"Can I take a break from practice, Yakov?" Viktor asked, pouting slightly as he stepped off the ice.

"No, you can not!" Yakov shouted angrily. "You have Nationals and the World Championships coming up and you need to be able to land all of your jumps and work on your preformance!"

"He already left," Yuri Plisetsky stated, taking to the ice and using this time to practice his routine only once before he, too, disappeared like Viktor had.

"Viktor!" Yakov shouted loudly in an angered tone.

Viktor was leaning against a locker in the locker room of the rink, putting his regular shoes on and taking a drink of apple juice from a juicebox. He was thinking to himself, a serious look painting his features.

"I feel like I'm forgetting about something important," he whispered to himself, furrowing his eyebrows before shrugging. "If it's truly something imporrant, it will come back to me eventually."

With that, Viktor threw away his juicebox and made his way out of the building and hoping to get a drink before retiring to his house for the night.


	3. A Night of Wonders

Yuri downed one of his pills with a glass of water, setting the glass down on the table and sighing. His eyes traveled down to his enlarged stomach, smiling and moving his hands over the bump.

'Any day now and I'll be a parent,' he thought to himself, moving to the couch in his apartment and turning on the T.V. He sighed when he had trouble finding a way to sit, so he just opted to lay down on it sideways and inch himself into a comfortable sitting position. The task proved quite difficult and it took ten minutes to find a position that he was comfortable with.

He was watching the figure skating Grand Prix, keeping his eyes on the screen as the people danced on ice in tune with the music and telling their own stories. A smile formed on his lips as he watched his best friend, Pichit, skate onto the ice. He stood in his opening position and waited for the music to start and beginning to skate. Yuri began to clap to the tune "Shall we Skate?" as the performance began.

He still couldn't believe that Pichit was able to make his dream come true. Yuri was enthralled when the boy placed first at the last competition with a gold medal around his neck. He even called his best friend when that happened so that way he could congratulate him personally. He felt congratulating him without telling Pichit wasn't good enough, so instead of going all the way there and going in person, he just called the man.

The call was a bit unexpected on Pichit's part. After not hearing from his friend in almost a year, it was quite the relief to hear Yuri's voice again. Yuri congratulated Pichit on the spectacular performance and Pichit began to rave on about how nervous he had been before the competition and that he was so happy that he was able to make his country proud. Yuri had smiled throughout the entire conversation and replied the right things whenever the interjection was needed.

Also, Yuri was able to tell Pichit about his situation.

He thought his friend would be less than happy about what he had done, but it seemed that the foreign boy was more than ecstatic about the fact that he was going to end up having a child. In fact, he was so happy about it that he even asked if he could be the child's godfather. Of course Yuri allowed for it to happen, and he heard joyful screaming on the end of the line for the next five minutes before Pichit calmed down enough to ask who the father was.

Pichit was momentarily shocked into a silence when Yuri hesitantly replied who it was, and Yuri was afraid that Pichit would go off about getting rid of Viktor's purity and keeping him for himself. As it turned out, Pichit was even more excited about that than he was to become a godfather.

"You're having a baby with the sexiest god of all figure skating! I'm so proud of you Yuri!" he had yelled happily through the phone.

Yuri made him promise to secrecy that he wouldn't tell anybody and would most definitely not put a post of this on his Instagram. Of course Pichit was a little sad about not being able to post the news on his social media, but he agreed to the conditions so that way his friend would be able to live comfortably with himself. After that day though, Yuri had been talking to Pichit every time he had the chance.

It was a beautiful thing to see how Pichit was able to dance like he wanted to on the ice, and it made him happy to see that Pichit had incorporated his happiness about Yuri's pregnancy into his performance. Yuri hadn't actually expected Pichit to go through with that idea, but he could see it in the movements that he made on the ice that the boy was extremely happy.

Yuri clapped really loudly when the performance ended and he watched as Pichit was showered with flowers on the ice. Pichit was smiling brightly and he turned to the camera that was pointing to him, she skated close to it and began to talk excitedly to it.

"Did you see it, Yuri!?" Pichit called excitedly. "I did it! I was able to do everything I dreamed of and more because you inspired me to move in ways that I never thought I would!"

Yuri blushed as Pichit skated away and left the ice, waving at everybody in the crowd.

"I couldn't have inspired you. If anything, you have inspired me, Pichit," Yuri whispered to himself and shifted his body into a different position.

Then, he found that he was hit with a wave of dizziness and he felt like his stomach was folding in on itself. He crouched forward as much as he could and wrapped an arm around his midsection, his eyes widening.

'I'm having contractions already?!' he thought cautiously as he looked up at the screen. 'But it's almost Viktor's turn to skate!'

When another contraction hit, he knew that he wouldn't be able to stay at the house and watch Viktor's performance. He needed to leave and get to the hospital.

Moving to put on his shoes was too much of a hassle and his movements were restricted by his stomach and the pain of his contractions, so be walked out of the apartment, barefoot, with a pair of keys in his hands. He locked the door as he left and make a break for the elevator. The ride seemed to take the longest time and he felt tears welling up in his eyes from the pain he was experiencing.

Once the elevator reached the bottom floor, he immediately ran to the front desk where a man was sitting at the computer. When Yuri reached the desk, the man looked up and, knowing what was needed since the hospital had informed him that Yuri would be needing a ride to the hospital sometime in the future, he grabbed his coat and stood.

"Yuri Katsuki?" he asked the boy, who nodded before scrunching up his features in pain and grabbing at his stomach. "Tetsuya! Run the desk while I run an errand!" the man shouted behind him into an open door before guiding Yuri out of the building and into the man's car.

Had Yuri not know that Dr. Sizushima had asked a friend of his to be prepared to bring him to the hospital, Yuri may have ended up dead on the sidewalk on the trek to the hospital. He had been reluctant to tell another soul of his condition, but Oliver said that he could be trusted and he had finally agreed to it.

He was lucky he had.

The minute they reached the hospital, Oliver had began to walk out as he finished his difficult and long day. He had sighed in relief as the work load seemed to be removed for the night and he would be able to rest, but a car stopping right in front of him caused him to start and look up a little shocked. The moment he saw his friend helping Yuri out of his car, he immediately rushed back inside and ordered a few nurses to prepare a room for a surgical procedure.

Yuri was helped inside and was lifted onto a stretcher. He groaned as the pain in his stomach increased. His body was convulsing, trying to get the developed child to exit, but there was no way of transport to get it out, so it was going through a process of trying to break down the entity and force it out.

This could end up killing the child, and Yuri wasn't prepared for that.

The boy tried to even out his breathing and forced his mind into a state where he was trying to consciously control the functions of his body. He made his mind think that the baby was actually a part of his body in the sense that it had a way to help the rest of his functions and he forced his muscled to stop pushing down on the womb. The task proved difficult and he found he had gotten lightheaded because of it.

He was pushed into a room and Dr. Sizushima immediately got to work in preparing all of the tools he needed and getting on his mask and gloves.

Yuri, on the other hand, seemed to have found that there was a monitor in the room and his eyes widened in realization.

'Viktor may not be here physically, but maybe he can be here in a sense for his child's birth,' Yuri thought to himself, almost smiling at the thought.

"The Grand Prix!" Yuri choked out, pointing at the screen. "Please, put on the performances!"

Had the doctor in the room been anybody but Oliver, his request would have been denied. Oliver, though, seemed to know the exact reason as to why the boy wanted the show on, and ordered one of the nurses helping him to turn it on immediately.

"I don't have time to put you under," Oliver stated as he pulled out a needle with a clear liquid in it, looking down at Yuri," so I'm just going to numb the area to lessen the pain as much as possible."

Yuri nodded quickly, his eyes turning to the television and closing in on the image. One of the performers was finishing his performance and posing as he was injected with the numbing concoction. His eyes widened as the image made it to the Kiss and Tell and showed the man's score, saying that he was in second place with a score of 309.25.

'Please, please tell me that Viktor hasn't gone yet!'

"Yuri, I don't have the time to let the numbing take full effect, but the pain should be lessened. I'm going to start the procedure."

The words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Yuri stared intently at the screen. He didn't even feel the pain as the scalpel touched on his skin and began to cut him open. He didn't even notice the pain, because Viktor was skating into the middle of the rink and getting into position for his free skate.

.:":.

Viktor clapped happily after Pichit's performance, enjoying the way he made the music his own and entranced the audience. The Russian skater was overjoyed about the skating routines that these people spent time to perform and it made him want to watch everyone as they began to dance on the ice.

When Pichit turned and skated to a camera, shouting excitedly to it, Pichit had said something that struck a cord inside of him somewhere.

"Did you see it, Yuri!?" Pichit called excitedly. "I did it! I was able to do everything I dreamed of and more because you inspired me to move in ways that I never thought I would!"

Viktor's head snapped in the direction of the camera after hearing what was shouted. Something about hearing Yuri's name shouted made him feel... different.

No, he wasn't thinking of Yuri Plisetsky because Pichit would have just went over to the Russian punk himself and said it. It was only through reason itself that Viktor began to think about the Japanese male.

He began to think to the last time that he officially saw the man, and smiled when his memory landed back on the day of the banquet after last year's event. He pulled out his phone, looking at all of the pictures he had asked others to take. A chuckle escaped his lips as he looked at all of the pictures of a drunken Yuri dancing on a pole with Christophe, the both of them almost completely naked. Then, there was a video someone had taken, and his eyes widened, not even having to click it to know what it was.

It was the video about when Yuri had asked Viktor to be his coach.

Of course, he was actually going to become Yuri's coach and take this year off, but he never had the chance. He had even flown to Japan and went to Hasetsu, only to find that his family had no idea where Yuri was! Viktor even went as far as to ask all the social networks possible and his fans if they knew where the Japanese skater was. None of them knew.

It was almost as if Yuri Katsuki had vanished off of the face of the earth.

Except, Pichit seemed to know where Yuri was, and if Viktor had the chance to find where the skater was, he would take it because he really wanted to see Yuri again.

As Pichit began to skate off of the ice, Viktor began to feel as if something was happening and he began to feel... well, not like himself. He somehow felt an unknown happiness and he felt a twinge of anxiety. He even felt little bit more mature.

Only a little bit.

But most of all, he felt like love was blossoming from his heart and reaching to the tips of his fingers and toes, which caused him to gasp in surprise and move his hand to his cheat, gripping his heart. 'What's happening to make me feel this way?' Viktor silently asked himself, a smile forming on his lips at the feeling.

Whatever it was, he was very thankful for it. His free skate just so happened to be about love and he was skating to a piece of music he asked to be constructed in a similar way to a song he liked to listen to called "On Love: Agape," which was about unconditional love. If this feeling could last until the end of his performance, then he could get a new personal best.

'I guess that's a selfish way of thinking,' he thought to himself and shook his head, tightening his skates and preparing to enter the ice when Cao Bin from China finished with his performance. (Where has that guy been? He was only mentioned on the score board for the first Grand Prix and we never got to meet him...so I think a recognition is definitely needed, even if only in name.)

When Viktor finally took the ice, he let that feeling overcome every inch of his body, the feeling adding even more love and grace with his movements. The moment the music started, he began to move, drowning out all sounds of the crowd and gliding across the ice.

He started out with a step sequence, which portrayed a gentle touch to it. His arms outstretched in front of him and he quickly brought them back in.

'At that part, I would normally have felt I portrayed to the audience that I was bringing my lover closer,' Viktor thought to himself as he stretched out his arms into an eagle like formation, 'but now I feel as if I was receiving the child from the wife I will have in future, preparing myself to love and nurture it more than myself.'

The sound of a flute entered his ears, and Viktor began to glide backwards, preparing himself to do a triple toe loop for his first jump. He did a little hop on the ice for a half turn, then he kicked at the back of his blades and shot into the air, turning rapidly and landing the jump with his free leg out beside him.

'I added an extra turn subconsciously,' Viktor thought to himself as he glided across the ice and spun in a large circle. 'I did a quad instead of what I had been practicing. Why do I feel so confident all of the sudden?'

Viktor put himself at the edge of the rink and started to glide backwards one again to prepare himself for entry into his combination jumps.

"Viktor plans to do a triple lutz, a half jump, and a double toe loop for his first combination, and he has yet to fail this combination this season," the judge relayed to the awaiting crowd, which was entranced by Viktor's sudden change in the meaning of his performance.

They watched as his hands were brought together in front of him in a praying motion and he moved them down his body, spreading them out to his sides and clicking as his blades sending him tumbling through the air.

"No way! A quadruple lutz into a double axel jump and then into a triple toe loop!" the announcer whisper shouted in surprise as Viktor went into his combination, landing all of his jumps perfectly.

'Viktor,' Yakov thought to himself, speechless at his Russian charge's change in routine. 'What's gotten into you to change the jumps like that out of nowhere? He's lucky that I'm too entranced in his performance, or I'd be shouting at him for being a fool and switching up his routine as he has.'

All of the jumps after that seemed to have been changed and upped in difficulty. If Viktor had planned to do a double jump as he had the entire season, he would do a triple instead. If he was planning a triple, he would do a quad. Best of all, he didn't even fumble and the new meaning of his dance seemed to strike a cord inside of everyone in the stadium.

Then, when he came to the final jump, Viktor had planned to do a quadruple toe loop, but he wanted to something more difficult, knowing that, somehow, he would land it no matter what. Even if his stamina seemed to already be gone, he knew he would be able to land any jump he did.

He came in for a back entrance to go into his jump, gaining speed and momentum before taking off into the air. His body flipped four times, twirling at a quick rate before he landed, seemingly effortless back onto the ice and beginning his step routine for the end of the program.

"A quadruple flip!" some of the audience shouted in surprise and happiness, the cheering and clapping from the cloud almost at a deafening tone. Viktor didn't hear it though, for he was thinking intently as he went into his routine.

'Yuri,' Viktor thought as he spread his arms out and then wrapped then around himself, bringing his free leg into the air as the rest of his body was parallel to the ice, doing a camel spin. 'You've done something to me, that is for sure. I don't know what it is, but I will find you and see what you've been up to. I want to know why you've made me feel this way.'

Viktor finished his spin, slowing his momentum and lifting his head to face the camera, extending his arm towards it with the other in a position as if it were cradling something. His eyes widened as the music ended and the applause erupted once more.

'I had always ended with one of my hands reaching for the sky and the other spread behind my back,' Viktor thought to himself, his harsh breathing coming out panting as he sunk to the floor, the exhaustion from the difficulty of his performance finally catching up to him. He put his forehead to the ice, his forearms set on the ice beside his head as he looked down at the way his eyes shone with happiness and love, something that had been gone from his list of honest expressions for the longest time.

"What have you done to me, Yuri Katsuki?"

.:":.

Tears fell from Yuri's eyes as Viktor's performance ended, the sound of crying coming at the same time. He could see a flash of confusion in Viktor's bright blue eyes when he was facing the camera, and Yuri knew that even Viktor hadn't expected to perform the way he had.

Yuri knew, though, that Viktor had some type of feeling that their child was born because of the final position he landed in. Viktor may not know it in mind, but he knew it in body and heart.

"What an astounding performance by Viktor Nikiforov, surprising us more than he ever has. Why, it seems that even Mr. Nikiforov seems baffled by what he has done. He seems to be in a state of shock!" the announcer's voice commented as Viktor stood back on the ice, skating to the edge of it with a shocked expression on his face.

The camera followed him as he made his way to the Kiss and Tell, and Yuri wished he could have been there at that moment to congratulate him in person. Viktor sat down next to Yakov, who actually didn't reprimand him about anything and even had as much of a smile as his bulldog face would allow.

"Now we await for the score from the judges."

Oliver began to stitch the boy's body closed, taking it in auick and painless motions. Yuri's eyes cast a glance at the bin his child was in, hut he couldn't see his baby since the nurses were cleaning the child and giving it it's shots.

"And the results are... 357.6! This is a new personal best and a new world record for the Russian skater! He finishes this season with a gold medal and new records made by leaps and bounds!"

"Yuri?" Doctor Oliver began, removing the baby from the bin and walking over to Yuri. "Would you like to hold him?"

Yuri nodded quickly, extending his arms and bringing the child to his chest. The baby boy looked up at him with his baby blue eyes, a mop of black hair sprouting from his tiny head. Even with the natural naby blue thay comes with all children, Yuri knew that his boy was going to have Viktor's eyes.

"Yalenchka Nikiforov Katsuki," Yuri stated, smiling down at his child. "That will be your name."

Yalenchka looked up at him, smiling happily and reaching for Yuri's nose.


	4. Christmas of Cheers

.:"HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIKTOR!":.

Yuri held the small child in his arms, watching as Dr. Sizushima and his friend helped put up a bassinet next to his bed. He bounced his arms gently so as to not wake Yalenchka, who was sleeping soundly in his grasp. The baby boy was wearing a white onsie with a teddy bear on it, wrapped cozily inside of a blue blanket Oliver had given him. The man even went as far as to go to a tailor and have Yalenchka's whole name stitched into one of the corners before they got back from the hospital.

Moving towards his bed, Yuri sat down and sighed in relief as the pressure he had been putting on both his feet and his stomach got relieved. He looked down at his baby boy, touching one of Yalenchka's hands. The skin was really soft and Yuri loved just how tiny the little fingers were.

"We're almost done here, Yuri," Oliver stated, laying the cloth over the bassinet and setting the saftey dividers to divide the changing area and the area where Yalenchka would be sleeping. "You'll be able to set him down here to sleep and then you'll be able to get some rest yourself."

Yuri nodded his head, watching as Oliver's friend put up an overhead with tiny stuffed animals hanging off of it. Oliver placed a bag of formula, diapers, and wipes next to the structure and pulled out a pig stuffed animal, setting it in the area where Yalenchka will be sleeping.

When Yuri saw the stuffed animal, a saddnend look grazed his features, remembering how Viktor used to call him his 'Little Piggy.' A small, saddened smile graced his lips at the memory and he began to play with Yalenchka's left hand, staring fondly at it.

His little boy had something quite special about him, and it made him happy knowing that Yalenchka was his own person. Yalenchka had an extra finger on his left hand. It resided right next to his pinky and was only a little smaller than the pinky finger itself. It funcioned just like any other finger and it was one of the things that made Yalenchka different from other babies.

It's what made him Yuri and Viktor's baby.

"You can lay him down now," Oliver began, breaking Yuri out of his train of thought and causing him to look up at his doctor.

Yuri nodded his head, slowly allowing himself to stand and walking over to the baby blue bassinet. He layed his child inside of it, pulling the cover up to where it went over the hanging stuffed animals to block out any access light, but allowing Yuri to still be able to see him.

Yalenchka shifted slightly, the blanket surrounding him moving it give his arms free reign before settling back down and sleeping. Yuri smiled, moving the little pig to rest between Yalenchka's left arm and body.

"When he gets older, you'll just have to take this top part off and it'll become a crib. You'll just have to get some sheets for the matress underneath," Oliver informed him, causing Yuri to nod gratefully.

"Thank you so much for everything, Dr. Sizushima," Yuri thanked, bowing towards his doctor. "If there's anything I can do for you, I'd be happy to oblige."

Oliver just laughed and placed a hand on Yuri's shoulder, causing the boy to stand up straight and look at him.

"Just be careful and come and visit me every once in a while is all I ask of you," he replied in earnest. "If you ever need my help for anything, just call me and I'll be here when I can."

Yuri nodded his head, sighing. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure."

Oliver motioned for his friend to follow him and the both of them exited Yuri's apartment.

Once they left, Yuri slowly eased himself onto his bed, careful to not break his stitches. He pulled the covers over his body, looking over at Yalenchka and smiling to himself. His glasses were removed and he placed them in the table beside his bed after folding them properly. Once that was done, he adjusted his gray comforter to go over his shoulder and he closed his eyes.

That night, he dreamt about him and Viktor raising Yalenchka together.

.:":.

"Happy Birthday Viktor!"

Viktor nearly jumped out of his skin when he opened the door to his house. The bags of groceries in his hands fell to the ground from surprise at the chorus of shouts directed towards him. He didn't have much time to process anything when glitter and ribbons were thrown at him. He brushed some of the glitter off of his white shirt, pulling the ribbon from his hair and looking around. His eyes widened in amazement at the sudden change of decoration.

Gold curtains hung along the top part of the walls, used to look like a thick ribbon lacing the ceiling and wall together. His tables were decorated with a white cloth laced with silver lining, and on top of the tables were mini villages of all kinds. At each table was also a series of three candles; one green, one red, and one white. The most marvelous thing, though, was the pine tree set up in the far corner of his living room.

It was just a simple Christmas tree, dotted with metalic green, red, white, and gold ornaments. Pale white lights decorated its branches and a beaded garland with snowflakes spiraled down its exterior. Viktor could see pine cones neatly placed in various positions of the tree, each pine cone slightly covered in a sparkling blue glitter with some of the brown still showing. On the top of the tree was a pure white angel wrapped in a fur dress and holding a staff of light with a golden halo above its head. Underneath the tree were an assortment of wrapped presents, screaming at Viktor and telling him to open each and every one of them at that moment.

His eyes landed on his guests, all of which wore different costumes. All of his rink mates wore formal attire consisting of a green and red theme. The three most memorable costumes were Yakov's, Yuri's, and Phichit's.

Yakov wore a bright red suit with a black waist band and black boots, a gold buckle in the middle of the waist band. He wore a red hat that had a white puff ball on the end and hs even wore a fake white beard to top off his costume.

Yuri was in something much different. He wore a green tunic with a brown waist strap, a red long sleeved shirt underneath. His legs bore red leggings and his feet bore green shoes with a curl at the tip. His face was sour, his blond hair falling like normal around his features with a green hat on his head, a gold bell hanging off the end. Yuri even wore fake ears that were pointed sharply at the tips.

Phichit's costume was just like Yuri's, only the color scheme was flipped and a bright smile was planted on his face.

The state of his home, bathed in the soft light of the candles and the tree, as well as his guests dressed up in various shades of green and red, was absolutely breathtaking. Viktor couldn't even find it in him to question how they were able to do all of this in the fourty minutes he had been at the store.

Phichit ran forward, picking up Viktor's bags that he dropped and racing towards the kitchen before coming back out quickly.

"You guys did all of this... for my birthday?" Viktor asked incredulously, stepping farther into his home and marveling at everything around him.

"It's also to congratulate you on your performance at the Grand Prix Final last week, Vitya," Yakov commented, pulling at his fake beard in hopes to get it to itch less than it already was.

"You can't forget that it's X-mas either," Yuri pointed out, scoffing to himself.

"Hey, say Christmas!" Phichit stated, pouting at Yuri. "It's the day to celebrate the birth of Jesus as well! It's disrespectful to not say the whole of Christmas on the day of."

"Whatever," Yuri mumbled, crossing his arms and turning his head to where he wasn't looking at any of them.

"Wow!" Viktor shouted happily, bringing everyone into a great big group hug. 'Thank you so much!"

"You're quite welcome, Mr. Sexiest-god-in-all-of-figure-skating," Phichit replied, smiling at Viktor with a look of knowing.

"Oh, Phichit-kun," Viktor began, staring at the black haired man, "I forgot to ask you at the finals, but I heard you talking to Yuri through the camera and I wanted to know if you know where he is?"

Viktor was greeted with silence as Phichit stared incredulously up at the silver haired man. Viktor didn't quite know what was going on in Phichit's mind at that moment, but he could tell that the younger man was surprised by the question he was asked. Phichit's chocolate eyes shined in amazement and then suddenly held an unhappy glint and he pouted.

"As much as I'd like to tell you, Viktor, I was asked to not reveal where he is to anyone until he goes back to Hasetsu. He won't even let me post anything on instagram about what he's doing!" Phichit cried, rivers flowing out of his eyes. "He's living the perfect life off of the ice and he won't let me brag about it."

Viktor smiled even though he didn't get the answer he so wanted. "Yuri is happy then? Alright! I guess I can wait until he returns home. I don't know what it is, but even though he wasn't there, I could feel like he was skating with me at the finals and he did something to me."

Viktor immediately noticed the all-knowing glint in Phichit's eyes and began to shake the man's shoulders. "You know what he did! Please tell me Phichit!"

Phichit shook his head, smiling mischeviously at Viktor. "I was asked not to speak about it!"

"You're so cruel," Viktor wept.

"Viktor, just go and open your presents so we can leave this shitty house!" Yuri grumbled in distaste, tugging at the ear caps.

"Wow! Really? The presents are all for me?" Viktor exclaimed in wonder, russain over to the tree and tearing the paper on the boxes.

"Hold on Viktor! I want to get a video!" Phichit shouted, pulling out his phone and turning on the camera. The video began to roll as Viktor childishly tore at each of the presents.

.:":.

Yuri's eyelids drooped open to the sound of crying. He looked over to the bassinet and pushed the covers off of him. Yawning, he stood slowly from the bed and trudged over to his crying child.

The young boy was waving his arms in the air, seeking for attention from Yuri. Yalenchka's face was scrunched up and red from crying. Yuri smiled tiredly down at his child before reaching his hands into the bassinet and carefully scooping Yalenchka into his arms. He adjusted his hold to where he was able to support Yalenchka's head with his arm and had a comfortable grip on Yalenchka's bottom.

Yalenchka's hands waved up in the air in response, his crying toning down slightly. Yuri felt Yalenchka's fingers berween his own, noting that they were much cooler than his.

"I'll fix that, don't worry," Yuri whispered softly to his crying child, moving to his dresser. He opened his top drawer, which he had eveeything of his own removed so he could fit Yalenchka's baby clothes, and pulled out a pair of blue and white striped baby mitts.

Slowly, he pulled them over Yalenchka's fingers and kissed both of his child's hands, warming the mitts slightly with his lips. Yalenchka quieted after that, his head lulling towards Yuri's sromach. He began to sleep soundly after that and Yuri grabbed the baby blanket from the bassinet, wrapping it over Yalenchka's body and making his way back over to his bed.

'Oliver said that he can sleep with me every once in a while, but not too often or he'll obtain some bad habits, like becoming a bratty momma's boy,' Yuri smiled, laying down and pulling his little boy closer to his body and enveloping the baby with his warmth. 'If he's a rambunctious child, then I'm totally blaming Viktor for that.'

Yuri's phone buzzed from the bedside table, causing him to glance up and notice he had gained a text message. He looked at the time on his clock before sighing and reaching over to pick up the phone, tapping lightly as the glow from his phone reflected on his face.

'Who would be texting me at three in the morning?'

Yuri opened up his chat log, noticing that he had gotten his text from Phichit. He opened up his chat with his friend, noticing that a video had been attached to the comment.

'I dont know if this is will cheer you up or not about your relationship with him, but you should totally see the reaction he gave when he opened his birthday presents! I was only able to get the first half because Maccachin knocked my phone out of my hands and caused the video to end. Though, I think that I may have made things a bit more awkward with the present I had gotten him.' Phichit exclaimed in the chat bubble below the video.

Yuri debated whether or not he should watch the video. On one hand, he didn't want to wake up Yalenchka and on the other hand he wanted to see Viktor outside of the ice again. He glanced at his son before looking back at his phone, clicking on the video.

Yalenchka was a pretty deep sleeper like he was, so he shouldn't wake up from the noise.

Yuri turned the volume down to where it was barely up at all, but he could still hear clearly since his apartment was completely desolate of any sound.

The video shook slightly in the begining, showing that Phichit seemed to be wanting to hurry up before Viktor completely destroyed every present. Already Viktor seemed to have halfway opened one of his presents, a childish glint in his eyes as he smiled happily. He pulled the white box closer to his body, opening the top and reaching excitedly inside.

Only to pull out another box wrapped in wrapping paper.

Yuri chuckled along with the others on the other side of the video as Viktor pouted and tore away at the wrapping paper once more. He opened the box and pulled out yet another perfectly wrapped box.

"Yuri~!" Viktor pouted at the blond female, causing Phichit to shift the camera to the side to show the smug look that appeared on Yuri's face as he watched the scene. He zoomed in the camera on Yuri's face as Yuri's smirk spread ever wider. "You are so cruel! Why did you do all of this! What did you get me?!"

"Baka, just continue and you'll figure it out," Yuri replied, causing Phichit to turn the camera back towards Viktor, the picture shaking slightly as muffled laughter came through the speakers.

Viktor unwrapped the present twice more before he was finally able to get to the actual present itself, which was tucked neatly into a one-by-one inch box. When he opened it, he gushed loudly and jumped up, hugging Yuri tightly.

"Thank you so much, Yurio!" Viktor exclaimed as Yuri began to push on the older man.

"Get off me! And don't call me that!" Yuri, now dubbed Yurio, called out angrily.

"What did he get you Viktor?" Phichit asked excitedly, causing Viktor to turn to him and jump right at the camera, flashing his heart shaped grin.

Viktor held up the box, showing what was inside of the clear lid and gushing happily. "It's a mini silver ipod that has one of those fancy clips so you can clip it to your body and listen to music through headphones without having to carry it!"

Yuri laughed at Viktor's happy reply, glancing down at Yalenchka briefly afterwards to make sure he hadn't roused him. The baby was still sleeping soundly curled close to his body, so he looked back up at the video and watched as Viktor tore at another present.

"Thank you, Yakov!" Viktor shouted as he pulled out a green sweater with a reindeer wearing a scarf on it.

"I got it so you'd have something to wear to the ugly sweater parties Mila constantly throws for everyone each year," Yakov stated, his arms crossed over his chest and his fake beard laying on the ground in front of him.

"Ugly?" Viktor asked, tilting his head to the side and examining the sweater. 'It isn't ugly at all! It's very cute!" he announced, pulling the sweater over his shirt. He created a sideways peace sign right in front of his right eye and smiled at the camera.

"Open mine now, Viktor!" Phichit called out, the camera becoming a blurred mess as he shoved his phone into Yurio's hands and raced towards the Christmas tree.

Yuri chuckled as he watched his friend tear through the small pile of gifts before pulling out a square box that was small and flat and handing it to Viktor.

Phichit stole the camera back, focusing back on Viktor as he opened the present. When Viktor opened the box, he smiled, pulling out a thin silver chain with a heart pendant on the end. Yuri stared, confused as Viktor found a small latch and opened the heart.

His best friend walked closer to Viktor, who looked up when he got closer and showed what was on the inside of the pendant. When the visual focused better on the inside, Yuri's eyes widened.

Inside of the pendant was a normal picture of Yuri, smiling happily at whoever was taking the picture. The one on the other side was of him gliding smoothly on the ice, one leg out behind him and his arms spread wide beside his. He was smiling at the camera with his hair billowing behind him, his glasses nowhere to be seen in that picture.

"This is the best one, Phichit-kun!" Viktor exclaimed, jumping and hugging the camera man. "Now I can have more motivation to find Yuri and ask to be his coach!"

The sound went dead on the other side of the phone and Yuri stared at this screen his eyes widening incredulously. Viktor wanted to...coach him? For what reason?

'I'm not anything special,' Yuri thought to himself as sound suddenly came from the other side.

"You want to coach that pig?!" Yurio shouted in anger, causing Viktor to look innocently his way.

"Of course! He even asked me to be his coach and I want to do it!" Viktor proudly proclaimed. The silver haired Russian then blinked and looked around him as he began to clip the pendant around his neck. "Eh, where's Maccachin?"

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," Yurio muttered, almost inaudibly as a poodle came racing into the room.

"Maccachin!" Viktor called out excitedly as Maccachin jumped, bumping into Phichit's arm at the same time.

The camera fell from Phichit's hands and landed on the floor in the most convenient way to where Yuri was still able to see the situation. Maccachin tackled Viktor to the ground, licking his owner all at the same time. On the way down, Viktor ended up knocking into the tree. Startled shouts rose as the tree began to tip over and the video ended, the final frame showing a startled looking Viktor staring at the falling tree while most everyone else dove to stop the tree from falling to the ground completely.

The last scene caused Yuri to chuckle slightly to himself again and close his messages. He locked his screen and replaced the phone back on the bedside table. Yuri couldn't help but fall asleep smiling at the video. He hardly cared that Phichit had given Viktor pictures of him, and inside of a heart shaped pendant, no less. He could always get onto the man when he woke again. Besides, he couldn't think of why Phichit thought the present would make things awkward.

"Happy Birthday Viktor," Yuri whispered before sleep completely consumed him, his arms wrapping comfortably around Yalenchka's body.

.:"Published 12:00 a.m Central Standard Time on Christmas. MERRY CHRISTMAS!":.


	5. The Call

Yuri nervously tapped on his phone, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked at his contacts. He stared at one of them in particular, his eyes unsure if he was really able to do as he had resolved he would. He pursed his lips, his thumb twitching towards the call button.

Sighing, Yuri dropped his phone on his bed, his hands finding his face as he rubbed it to relieve stress. He closed his eyes, before reaching over towards the table beside his bed and pulling his laptop onto his crossed legs. He opened the lid, typing quickly onto the keyboard and opening the Skype call.

Before he could think too much more about whether or not he was going to call, he pressed the call button and allowed for the call screen to come up. His thumb came to his lips as he nibbled at his nail, waiting for the screen to flash and show whether or not his parents would answer the call.

The screen finally flashed and a picture appeared before his eyes. It was his mother, who looked entirely excited to see Yuri and was shouting towards Yuri's father, who seems to be somewhere behind the laptop that she was using.

"It's Yuri! Come here quick and talk to your son!" his mother called joyously, her adorably chubby cheeks bouncing in excitement. Her brown eyes shone spectacularly as she looked over Yuri's features through the screen.

Yuri smiled towards her, waving slightly in greeting and adjusting his glasses.

"Hey mom."

"Oh, Yuri! It's so good to be in contact with you again!" Mrs. Katsuki announced as her husband took a seat beside her to join the conversation. "But you do look a little peaked. Have you been eating the right things?"

"It's good to hear your voice too, mom," Yuri replied, typing a bit on his computer and allowing the picture to focus more. "I promise that I've been eating well, I kind of have too anyways."

"That's good!" His father replied, smiling towards his son. "How have you been, son?"

"I've been doing well, dad," Yuri replied honestly. "I've been busy juggling home duties and my part time job and I've been able to stay quite happy living in this little apartment."

"Where are you living, Yuri?" his mother asked, cocking her head to the side.

"I'm in Moriyama," he replied, causing his mother to squeal.

"Oh, that's such a beautiful place in the mountains! Though, it's not very well known. It does have a larger population than Hasetsu, though. You've had no trouble keeping up with rent of your apartment, have you? If you need anything, I'll send you the money to help you!"

"No, no, no!" Yuri choked, waving his hands in front of him and causing the laptop to sway in his lap. "I've been able to keep up everything just fine. I even have extra money that I've been saving in case of an emergency, or I'll possibly come back to Hasetsu if I have enough money for a train ride for two before any emergency presents itself."

"Oh, two?" his father questioned.

"Mama..." Yuri looked up, turning towards the door to see his son peeping at him, his body halfway through the door. His bright blue eyes stared at his mother, who smiled at him and waved him over.

Yalenchka smiled brightly, running over to the bed as quickly as his legs would allow, running into the side of it and burring his face into the comforter. He brought one of his legs onto the bed, pulling himself the rest of the way up before looking at Yuri and jumping onto him. He wrapped his small arms around his mother, giggling slightly and causing Yuri to chuckle.

"Momma, you never guess to what happen to the black ranger, and the black ranger you can never guess on what happens to him!" Yalenchka called out happily, staring excitedly into Yuri's warm brown eyes.

"What happened to the black ranger?" Yuri asked with a smile, ignoring the bad grammer that his son produced. The kid was only four and too excited to think clearly, what would you expect? The boy was speaking before any of the words could be processed in his mind, making it all come out to sound like a jumbled mess. Yuri's question caused Yalenchka to squeal and shoot off into an explination filled to the brim with excitement.

"It was the black ranger and the black ranger completely powed mezgod and mezgod died because the black ranger hit him and the red ranger also hit mezgod and killed him 'gain! Then blue ranger powed on monsters and monsters died! Then the yellow ranger screamed and she screamed because she's the yellow ranger and killed the monsters!"

Yalenchka was sitting in Yuri's lap at this point and facing his mother, his arms wrapped around Yuri's neck with his forehead pressed against Yuri's. Yuri hugged Yalenchka, laughing at the explanation for the umpteenth time, always finding amusement at how excited his son still got from watching Power Rangers, even though he's seen the same version at least thirty times.

Yuri had stopped counting when he hit twenty-three, though.

"Awwww~! Who's that little cutie!" Yuri's mother squealed in happiness and surprise, holding her cheeks in her hands and smiling brightly at Yalenchka.

The young boy stopped rambling, turning his head and turning to look at the laptop which resided on Yuri's bed in front of him. When he noticed that there were other people on the other side who were watching him, he burried his face into his mother's chest, suddenly shy.

Yuri laughed at his son's antics, pulling him gently off of his body and turning him to face the screen of the laptop. He smoothed out his son's black hair, pointing towards the screen as Yalenchka brought his fingers to his lips shyly.

"Say hello to your grandma and grandpa and tell them your name, YinYin," Yuri stated, causing Yalenchka to look up shyly into his grandmother's eyes.

"Hi Jiji, hi Ji-san, my name is Yalenchka. It's nice to meet you," he said, greeting his grandmother first before greeting his grandpa. Afterwards, he dug his face into his mother's neck, gripping tightly to the front of Yuri's shirt. Yuri chuckled, hugging onto Yalenchka as his mother squealed in delight and his father applauded him.

"Oh you should have called us sooner so we could meet him!" his mother cried in joy, her face coming really close to the camera. "Did you adopt him or is he yours? Oh, no wonder you hadn't come home just yet!"

"Oh, no mom," Yuri began, shaking his head furiously and adjusting the grip her had on his son, "I didn't adopt him, he's mine."

"Oh, he is just too adorable!" his mother exclaimed, backing up and putting her hands on her cheeks.

"Who's the lucky girl?" his father asked with a slight chuckle in his tone. "You showed us your son, so I'd like to meet my future daughter-in-law. I want to make sure she's good enough for you."

"Oh yes, that's right!" Yuri's mother agreed, nodding her head to her husband's words. "We need to make sure that she's not taking advantage of my little boy!"

Yuri started when Yalenchka suddenly jumped from his grasp and jumped towards the camera of his laptop. The young boy was smiling brightly at his grandparents, opening his mouth to speak to the two of them on the other side.

"Momma told me I was a miracle and a miracle that he told me, told that he woved! Momma has even told me, he told me about papa but said that I have, I have to wait before I get to see papa and papa sounds like a good papa!"

It was during the young boy's speech that Yuri's parents finally realized that Yalenchka was calling Yuri momma, and referring to the person that they had thought was the mother, papa. Yuri could see the confusion that they portrayed towards the young boy, but mainly towards him. He sent his parents a sheepish smile and put Yalenchka on the floor next to him.

"Alright YinYin, why don't you go watch more and tell me all about it when I finish talking to Jiji and Ji-san," Yuri ushered, pushing lightly on Yalenchka's back.

Yalenchka smiled brightly, nodding his head and racing out of the room as quickly as his small legs would allow him.

Once the young boy was out of the room, Yuri turned towards the screen of his laptop once again. His mother had her eyebrows furrowed in concern, and his father looked deep in thought. Yuri steeled himself, trying to prepare his words. He knew that when calling his parents he'd have to explain to them about what happened. He thought he was prepared, but he wasn't as ready to tell them as he wanted to be.

Yuri's head slowly moved down to where he was staring blindly at his hands, deep in thought. He was picking at his nails nervously, his bottom lip stuck between his teeth. He fiddled with his sweatpants next, the silence growing between him and his parents before he sighed loudly.

"Yuri," his mother began, her voice calm and soothing, "are you alright?"

Yuri took a deep breath, bringing his hand to his hair and shaking it to relieve some of the tension in his body.

"I'm fine," he replied, finally looking up into the eyes of his mother, "but there are some things that I need to tell you."

"Oh! Welcome to our hot springs!" Yuri's father called out, smiling as a guest walked into the building. "You talk with Yuri back in our room, I'll take care of the guests."

Yuri's mother nodded, picking up her laptop and dashing for her room, jumping on her bed before looking back at Yuri. She shifted her body into a comfortable kneeling position and smiling warmly towards her son.

Yuri was struggling to speak, the words right there on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to say them, but he couldn't even spit them out. He opened his mouth to speak them, but there was no sound and he couldn't force any sound to escape his throat. This caused him to groan loudly, leaning back in his bed and rubbing his face.

"It's okay Yuri," his mother assured him, taking off her glasses as cleaning them before putting them back on her face. "Just take your time."

The boy sat upright again and nodded, casting his gaze to the side and sighing. He felt like something was wrong with him. His chest clenched in a weird way when he wanted to talk about it and his throat seemed to close tight. Even though he couldn't see it personally, he knew his face would heat up and it felt like he was trying to balance fifty pound weights on his shoulders.

None of it was pleasant.

'Why do I feel like this though?' He thought to himself as he slowly turned to look back at his mother. 'I didn't do anything wrong, but I feel like if I admit to what I did, I'll be scolded like I was when I was a child.

He saw his mother smiling at him, though, and his eyes widened slightly. She sat there patiently waiting for him to continue.

'But, it looks like she knows already and is just waiting to hear it from me. She doesn't even look like she's about to scold me for something. If anything, she looks like she's ready to support and respect me the moment I tell her.'

Yuri took a deep breath, relieving some of the tension before the words began to pool from his mouth.

"A lot has happened in the ten years that I haven't seen you," Yuri admitted, fiddling with his fingers. "The first five was just of me training in Detroit with Phichit. I'm sure you've talked to him?"

"Of course!" his mother replied, nodding her head. "He seems like a very happy boy. I'm glad you've made friends with him."

"Yeah, me too," Yuri agreed. "Well, when I was going to the Grand Prix Finals, things started to change quite drastically." He steadied himself, taking a deep breath before continuing. "The night before the short program was supposed to start, I had gone to take a walk and I ended up at a restaurant. All of the skaters were there eating, even though it was close to midnight."

"Even Viktor was there?" his mother asked, her eyes widened and beginning to sparkle. Yuri sweat-dropped before nodding.

"Yes, but he was actually eating by himself."

"A man as handsome as him? I would have thought girls would be swooning him or he'd be with the other competitors!" his mother exclaimed in a flustered manner, slamming her hands on the bed in the space between her and her laptop.

"Well, it was really just the ice skaters that were there at the time and the staff," Yuri explained. "But that wasn't it. Viktor had actually grabbed me and pulled me over to his seat, telling me to eat whatever I wanted."

His mother was nodding her head along to the story, smiling brightly at the thought of her son and his idol eating a meal together at some fancy restaurant.

"But," Yuri began again, drawling out the word, "Viktor was... drunk."

"Really?" his mother exclaimed, her eyes widening. "Right before such a major competition?" Yuri nodded his head, making a sound of agreement.

"Apparently, he gets drunk the night before every competition, or that could have just been the liquor talking," Yuri stated, reminiscing on that moment and trying to decipher just how drunk Viktor was at that time.

"It was probably his liquor, because I've never seen him have a hangover before a competition before," his mother voiced, placing a finger to her lips. "Now that I think about it, the year you skated on the same ice as him, he did seem a bit different before he stepped on the ice. Once he was on the ice though, he was back to his skating self and performed flawlessly."

"Mom!" Yuri called out, huffing slightly.

"Oh, sorry, Yuri!" she replied hastily. "Go ahead."

"Well, after that, I walked him back to his hotel room because he wasn't hardly able to walk on his own," Yuri continued. "Luckily I did, or the world would be short of an ice skater."

"Viktor almost died?!" his mother cried, horrified.

"He was almost hit by a car, but I pulled him back in time and I held tight to him after that so he wouldn't make the same mistake."

"You didn't get hurt either, right?" his mother questioned, concerned.

"No no no no no!" he stated quickly, waving his hands in front of him. "I was completely fine! Nothing happened to me." Yuri paused for a moment. "Well, not until we got to Viktor's hotel room."

Yuri's mother remained silent as she watched her son collect his bearings. She wasn't planning on pressuring him to say anything that he didn't want to, so she patiently waited as he rubbed at his face.

"He... he invited me inside and we just sat there talking for a while... but it soon... kind of... you know..." Yuri trailed off, looking sheepishly at his mother and rubbing his arms together between his legs.

"Escalated," Yuri's mother finished, nodding her head.

"Y-Yeah," Yuri replied. "After that, I couldn't think or walk straight and completely flunked both of my programs. The first one because I was physically incapable of doing what I normally did, and the second one because I lost all confidence I had in myself.

"After that, though, I decided to head to Moriyama and try and settle myself down before going to see you and dad, but things began to get... complicated. My bodily functions started acting up and so I went to the hospital and I was able to get with Dr. Sizushima; the doctor you and dad would take me to for my checkups.

"Well, after doing some testing, he told me that I was... pregnant."

He sat, waiting for his mom to ask the question that most anyone would have and should have asked. When she didn't ask anything, he pursed his lips and cleared his throat.

"You aren't, ah, going to ask about it?" Yuri asked, his gaze shifting to the side.

"Oh, no," his mother replied, shaking her head with a smile. "I will let you chose when you wish to tell me. You don't have to explain everything to me now if you dont want to. But based on everything you told me, Yalenchka is the child that you had with Viktor Nikiforov."

Yuri nodded, rubbing his legs together, his hand trailing along his lower abdomen where the fading scar resides. It was but a thin strip of bright white skin now, fading with medication that Oliver had given him. He was relived when he was handed it, not even caring that it would take years for the medication to completely be rid of the scar.

"You're not mad... are you?" Yuri whispered to his mother, looking at her over the top rim of his glasses.

His mother just laughed, smiling brughtly at him and shaking her head. "Oh no, I'm not mad at all! I'm quite ecstatic actually because I'm a grandmother now. Not just any grandmother, but the grandmother of my wonderful son's and Viktor Nikiforov's child! I must be the luckiest girl in the world to have you as my son, Yuri! Hmm... do you think Viktor would mind becoming a part of the family? Have you talked to him since the competition? Oh, you two should get married to complete the little family you guys made together! We could even have it here at the onsen!"

"Mom, mom, mom!" Yuri hastily bit out, waving his hands in front of him as his mind began to spin at how fast his mother was speaking towards him. "Slow down! I haven't even spoke to Viktor since the night that happened! He knows nothing of Yalenchka and I'm not ready to face him about it just yet. Besides, don't you think marriage is a little bit too imaginary in a situation like this? I haven't even thought of the idea that we could possibly get married!"

"Hmmm, you're right," his mother replied, causing Yuri to sigh in relief. "We need to just call Viktor then and let you two talk about it and we can invite him to the onsen! He has contacted us quite often asking for you and if you were here or not. He'll be ecstatic to know that you're coming home!"

"Hold on, mom!" Yuri struggled to get out. "Let me get ahold of Viktor when I feel ready to! I'm not ready to face him yet and remind him of that night, let alone break the news that he has a child! He could have a heart attack!"

"Oh Yuri, Viktor isn't that old," his mother supplied, laughing slightly to herself.

"Mom, he isn't old, but he's already thirty-one."

"And you're twenty-eight," his mother stated. "I understand, so I'll let it be, but it's best if you get ahold of him about it sooner rather than later. If you wait too long, you could lose your chance at having him as your own."

Yuri blushed, covering his cheeks before nodding. "Y-Yeah, I understand, but give me a little more time. I almost have enough money for a trip to come back home and I'll get ahold of him once Yalenchka and I get settled in."

"Oh, don't worry about expenses at all Yuri!" his mother replied, typing away at her keyboard, clicking a few things for about a minute before smiling directly at him. "I've just got your tickets ordered for the trip. You'll be coming to Hasetsu in two weeks on the three o'clock train. It's not too soon, is it?"

"Ah, no mom, you're fine," Yuri replied, nodding his head. "Thank you."

"It's no problem at all Yuri!" his mother replied, looking up as the sound of a multitude of voices drifted into her room. "I'm going to let you and Yalenchka get your selves prepared for the trip. Your father sounds like he needs a little help managing everything out there right now."

"Okay mom, bye," Yuri replied.

"Bye Yuri! Your father and I will see you and Yalenchka soon!" his mother stated before cutting off the connection.

Yuri sighed, closing the lid to his laptop and falling back on his bed. The call went a million times better than he had thought, which made him relieved. He half expected his parents to maybe not even support him at all, considering the fact that a man getting pregnant is completely bizarre and the fact that, for a single night, their son was gay.

Well, now that Yuri thought about it, he never really had any sexual attraction to the female population, but he never quite thought of guys in that way either. Well, he did imagine all kinds of scenarios of where him, Viktor, and Yalenchka were like a nice, happy family.

'Does that mean I've always been gay, then?' Yuri questioned himself. Before he could let his mind process the question completely and get an answer, his door creaked open and Yalenchka came bounding in the room.

The little boy jumped on top of Yuri, smiling brightly down at his mother.

"I wanna go to the rink!" Yalenchka begged with better grammar than he had used earlier.

"You want to go skating, YinYin?" When Yalenchka nodded his head, Yuri smiled and stood up, placing his son on his hip and walking towards his bedroom door. "Alright, lets go! Maybe you'll be able to show me that step sequence you've been working on?"

"No no no!" Yalenchka refused, shaking his head. "I'm not done perfecting it yet. I want it to be perfect before I show it to you, mamma!"

"Okay, but don't add too much because I don't want you to hurt yourself," Yuri replied.

"I've only got fwee different things for it. Besides, it's not like I'm jumping yet anyways. You won't even let me try to do a jump yet and I have to watch you do it all the time!" Yalenchka pouted.

Yuri chuckled setting his son down so he can get his shoes on. "Maybe when you turn five I'll let you try to do some jumps with just one rotation."

Yalenchka's eyes lit up brightly, leaning down and looking at his mother who was picking up Yalenchka's and his own skates. "Really?"

"Yes, but you have to wait until you turn five, okay?" Yuri stated. Yalenchka nodded excitedly.

"Okay, I'll wait! But let's hurry so I can get my performance down so you can see!"


	6. Slay the Dragon!

As music played from the speakers, Yuri watched his son in anticipation with his phone out for a recording, the boy moving about the ice on his blades. The young boy skated to a song composed of only a piano, the notes high and uplifting in an innocent sort of way. The beat flowed with the skating boy and he began to spin on one foot, then moving his body to where he was spreading his arms beside him with a goofy smile on his face.

Yalenchka paused momentarily on the ice, taking a few steps with a little hop to each before jumping right back into gliding. He lifted one arm into the air, the hand which had his six little fingers reaching for the sky straining to grasp something. He began twirling slowly as the beat to the piano slowed. A serene look crossed Yalenchka's features, his smile turning into a close mouthed smile as his hand began to slowly fall down in front of him.

He finished up his mini program by holding his special hand within his other, looking up at the ceiling. Yalenchka was breathing a little heavy, considering his small body had yet to fully accustom to the amount of stamina and strain skating of any kind could do on his muscles. But even though he felt exhausted, he couldn't help the excited cry that left his mouth as he finished his program.

"Yes, yes, yes! Did it, did it, did it, did it! I successfully completed my first program!" Yalenchka called out in glee, skating around as quickly as his little body would allow him as he cheered.

Yuri felt a feeling of pride swell in his chest as he stopped the recording, his face breaking out into one of the happiest smiles he had ever produced in his life. He couldn't describe just how amazing it felt for him, knowing that his son completed his first ever program at only the age of four. Why, Yalenchka had even choreographed the entire thing himself! It was truly something he had not expected of his son from such an early age.

'He really is a lot like his father in the talent of ice skating,' Yuri thought as he took off the caps to his skates and skated out onto the ice to greet his son. 'I just hope he doesn't have a lack of confidence that I used to have about skating in front of others.'

"You saw it, right mama!?" Yalenchka asked his mother, his eyes wide and excited as he skated to greet Yuri. He fell into his mother's grasp and giggled loudly, causing Yuri to laugh as well and pick the boy up. He lifted his son up into the air and began to twirl around in a circle on the ice.

"Of course I did, YinYin," Yuri replied heartily, kissing his son's face all over and causing the boy to giggle even louder and grab at his mother's face. Yuri adjusted his grip on his son to where Yalenchka had his small legs wrapped around his waist and his arms around Yuri's neck. He pressed his forehead against his son's and smiled warmly at the excited boy.

"That performance was so good that I want to see it again when we get to Hasetsu," Yuri replied, rubbing his nose against Yalenchka's afterwards, causing the small boy to giggle excitedly.

"That's where Jiji and Ji-san live, right?" Yalenchka asked as Yuri set him back down on the ice.

Yuri nodded his head, leading the two of them to the edge of the empty rink and helping his son get back onto solid ground. "That's right, and we're going to live with them at the hot springs. How does that sound?"

Yalenchka's eyes brightened considerably at the thought and jumped up and down in excitement. "That would be so cool! When are we leaving mama?" the young boy asked excitedly as Yuri leaned against the wall to look at his son, tapping his skates on the ice in wonder at the excitement that his son was capable of showing.

"We're going to start to pack everything when we get home today and we'll be leaving in a couple of days at three o'clock," Yuri informed Yalenchka, the boy's eyes widening in realization at the statement.

"My birthday is two days! I'll be five when we get there!" he called out in excitement and looked up excitedly at his mother. "You'll take me to the rink when we get there and let me practice some jumps, won't you, mama?"

"Of course, YinYin, but we have to be able to get there before I can take you to the rink. So lets head home and get prepared to leave," Yuri replied, preparing to step off the ice.

"Hang on, mama, before we go, you should practice the routine that you said papa was skating this season!" Yalenchka begged, pushing against Yuri's stomach and causing the older man to glide backwards on his skates on the ice.

Yuri shook his head, skating back towards the exit of the rink and placing his hand on his son's head. He ruffled the boy's hair with a sorry smile, causing Yalenchka to pout and cross his arms.

"Sorry YinYin, but if we want to be able to make the train in a couple of days, we have to make sure that everything is packed."

"But mama!" Yalenchka whined out, clinging to Yuri and looking up at him with teary eyes. "You're so close to having it done and perfect! You just have to be able to land that last jump and it will be so amazing! Please! It would be something you can surprise Jiji and Ji-san if you want. Or even that old rink make of yours that you talk about every once in a while."

Noticing the tears in his son's eyes, Yuri bit his lip and looked away momentarily, trying not to be swayed by the look that his son was giving him. He chanced a look back down at his son and saw that his son was turning red as the tears threatened to spill from the boy's electric blue eyes.

Yuri scrunched up his face, flinching at the look before sighing. He nodded his head, kneeling on the ice and holding his son's hands in his own. Yalenchka's eyes brightened at the confirmation and the tears slowly began to fade.

"I'll practice a little bit, but not for very long, okay?"

Yalenchka nodded his head quickly, wrapping his arms tightly around his mother's neck and giggling. He backed away from Yuri, allowing the older man some space to stand, and turned towards the music speakers. He raced over to them, removing the disc of music that he used and putting it back in its case.

Yuri watched his son with a smile as the boy plugged in the ipod that Yuri had gotten himself for an early birthday present. He watched as his son found the song and looked up at him, motioning excitedly for Yuri to take the center of the ice.

With a small chuckle, Yuri skated towards the center of the ice, getting into the starting position with his head down and eyes closed. Once the music began to play, Yuri began to move and Yalenchka watched in fascination as his mother performed the routine.

...

"Alright, are you sure you can get it? It's quite a walk to Yutopia," Yuri asked, handing his son the bag that he had brought from the luggage carrier.

"I've got it mama!" Yalenchka replied stubbornly, heaving the bag on his shoulder and stumbling slightly before looking up at Yuri. "See? No problem at all!"

Yuri chuckled and grabbed the last two bags in one of his hands, holding his other out towards his son. "That's my strong birthday boy. Now lets go and meet your grandma and grandpa. No doubt they're waiting for you and I at the onsen with a large celebration prepared."

"A celebration just for us?" Yalenchka asked excitedly, his eyes widening in excitement at the thought of cake and the possible katsudon that might be waiting for him. He quickly grabbed hold of his mother's warm hand, dragging him towards the entrance of the train station.

Yuri stumbled in his step at the sudden movement, but he quickly regained his footing. He smiled brightly at his son and kept up easily with Yalenchka's fast pace. Being led through the station was quite easy, considering the fact that it Christmas but a few days away. It wasn't as packed as Yuri had expected, but he was quite grateful for it.

Once they were outside, Yalenchka stopped moving as he looked at the scene before him. Yuri did the same, smiling at the ocean's rolling waves and the beach, leading Yalencha to the guard rail that blocked anyone from falling onto the beach from the ledge that stood there. He gently began to coarse the bag that Yalenchka had from the boy's hand and lifted him in the air, placing his son on his shoulders and allowing the boy to grip at his hair for stability.

The waves crashed against the shore of the beach, the setting sun casting an orange glow over the blue waters. A couple was walking on the beach, the both of them bare footed to allow the feeling of the white grains of sand seep between their toes. A dog barked nearby, running and circling the couple. The couple's hands were grasped firmly together, a glint of silver on their fingers signaling the rings that resided there.

Bright white clouds bathed in pinks, oranges, and yellows passed soundlessly over head, a light wind picking up around Yuri and Yalenchka as the two of them looked off into the sunset. The gulls that flew over head chirped loudly, flapping their white wings in tune with the crashing of the waves.

"Wow mama, it's so beautiful here," Yalenchka stated softly, looking in bewilderment at the scenery before him. "Even more beautiful than the mountains in Moriyama."

"Yeah," Yuri replied, nodding his head and smiling brightly. "I think so too."

The wind settled around the two of them and Yuri smiled brighter, leaning down carefully to pick up the bag that his son had been holding. The grip on his hair had tightened considerably when he moved, causing him to scrunch up his face slightly and stand back up as quickly as he could without his son making him bald.

"Do you just want to ride up there until we get to the onsen?" Yuri asked his son, looking up as Yalenchka looked down into his chocolate eyes.

"Can I?" the smaller boy asked, tilting his head to the side slightly and adjusting his grip on his mother's hair. He looked at Yuri with innocent blue eyes, blinking a few times.

"If you really want to, I don't see why not," Yuri accepted, nodding his head minimally and smiling up at his son. Yalenchka beamed brightly down at him, nodding his head and pointing excitedly to the side of them and down the road.

"Onto yonder my brave and honorable knight! We shall slay our enemies and defeat the dragon on our way back to our beloved castle!"

"Your wish is my command, my prince," Yuri replied, racing down the street as fast as he could with all of the bags that he held in his hands.

"Watch out, the enemy is coming from the left! Slay him with your mighty sword!"

"You'll never cut me down!"

"Watch out behind you!"

"You can't defeat me when I have the support of the prince of Hasetsu on my side!"

"Incoming archers! Use your shield!"

"With the mighty power of an honorable knight protecting his prince, I shall deflect your arrows!"

"Great work my knight!"

"My Prince, the dragon is flying around the castle! Whatever shall we do?"

"Let's take him down and defend our kingdom!"

"Yes sir!"

"Watch out for his flames!"

"Oh no, my prince! I've been hit!"

"Knight!"

"No, you must defend the kingdom! Slay that dragon with the blade at your side!"

"But knight, I can't leave you here!"

"You must! Show me that you are ready to lead a land as great as Hasetsu! Prove that I can have faith in the people who shall rule before I go!"

"I promise you knight, I shall defend our honor!"

"Aim for the diamond in the neck, that is where it's hide is thinnest and you shall reach its heart."

"I shall slay you mighty dragon for making my bravest warrior fall! You will fall by my hand!"

"Get him for the land, my prince!"

"Ha ha! I have avenged my noble knight! Your teeth will be used to forge my next sword as a token for my victory!"

Clapping could be heard and cheers erupted around mother and son, causing them to get out of character and look around them. They had stopped in front of the onsen to finish their final battle against the dragon and it seemed to have brought a crowd from the interior outside to witness the scene.

Yalenchka suddenly became very self consious and he ran back towrds Yuri, who was standing up from his position on the ground, and hid behind his legs.

"We've been saved!" one of the townspeople of Hasetsu called out, playing along.

"The brave prince has banished the evil dragon from our land!"

"Hooray for our Prince!"

Everyone began to chant, drawing Yalenchka to slowly move out from behind his mother. His shy look soon formed into a wide grin and he held up his hand, shouting in triumph.

The clapping and cheering became louder than ever, and Yuri moved towards his son and picked him up again, setting the boy on his shoulders. Yalenchka shouted in glee, feeling as if he were on top of the world.

As if Yuri was able to read his son's mind, he couldn't could help but agree. Someday, he truly believed his son would be on top of the world.


	7. Greetings from St Petersburg

"Oh, Yuri! You're here!" Yuri's mother called out in happiness, rushing through the crowd excitedly and making her way over to her son and grandson. She bumped against person after person, and soon enough, people realized that they should just make a patch for her to greet her family.

The first thing she saw was Yuri sitting next to his son, holding him up in the air for the crowd to see as the cheering rose. Yalenchka was smiling so brightly that, for a moment, Hiroko thought she could feel the warmth he brought out as the sun.

Yuri looked over to his mother when he noticed her, smiling brightly her way and setting down his son. He whispered something into Yalenchka's ears, pointing over to his mother. Yalenchka's eyes brightened considerably as he stared at Hiroko, bouncing on his feet and waiting for his own mother to finish speaking to him. When his mother was no longer speaking to him and patted his back to move him towards his grandmother, the anticipation that had grown quickly inside of the boy suddenly burst and he took off towards Hiroko, arms spread out wide beside him.

"Jiji!" Yalenchka shouted in glee, spreading his arms out wide as he dove for a hug from his grandmother.

Hiroko caught him and brought the boy into a tight embrace, the small arms of her grandson wrapping tightly around her neck. He giggled as she swung him around happily, burying her face into his black locks of hair and breathing in the scent of red honeysuckle with a hint of nectar. The smell reminded her of the mountains when she had last visited with Toshio before she found that she was pregnant with Yuri. The scent was calming and she couldn't help the content sight that had escaped her lips. It felt great to hold a small child once again in her arms.

"Hello YinYIn! It's finally nice to meet you! How have you been? I see that you and your mother were just having the most fun out here! What were you doing?" she asked, turning to head inside of the inn and motioning for Yuri to follow her inside.

"I'm so happy that I get to meet you in person!" Yalenchka cheerily told her, his face glowing brightly. "Mama and I were just playing Prince and Knight! After defeating our enemy and the dragon, we saved the kingdom and Castle Yutopia in Hasetsu kingdom is once again safe from the evils of the other kingdoms!"

Yuri watched with a warm smile as his son went on and talked his little heart out to his grandmother. He followed the two inside, taking his shoes off at the door and taking in the familiar scents of the hot springs. He could smell the hot waters drifting into the main hall of the inn, and he could faintly detect the use of Epsom salt in one of the baths. The thing that caught his nose the most, though, was the smell that was drifting into his nose all the way form the kitchens.

The smell of pork and spices brewed in a warm pot with egg immediately caused his mouth to water. He hadn't had a decent pork cutlet bowl in about ten years and it was killing him, knowing that it was currently being made and he didn't know just when it would be finished.

He looked over to where he heard the excited giggles of his son and saw that his mother was blowing childishly onto the boy's stomach, causing the light laughter to fill the room. Yalenchka's eyes were tightly closed and his mouth was open wide. His feet were kicking out, trying to escape the trap that Hiroko had set. He was weakly pushing on top of Hiroko's head, his face turning red from the excitement.

When Yuri's father entered the room, Yuri turned towards him and greeted the man with a warm smile.

"Welcome home, Yuri," his father greeted him with a half bow. Yuri bowed his way before standing and nodding his way.

"It's good to be home," he replied in earnest, his gaze once again traveling towards his son as the boy ran around, laughing loudly as Hiroko chased after him with a sock puppet over her hand.

Toshio followed his son's gaze, smiling warmly at the scene of his wife playing with their grandson. When Yalenchka stopped in a corner and threw his hands out with a giggle to shield himself from the wrath of the sock puppet, Toshio took notice of the boy's hand. Without looking away from the scene, he addressed his son about the subject.

"He really is a special thing, isn't he?" he stated with an uplifting tone to his voice.

Yuri looked at him quizzically before catching on to what his father was referring to and nodding his head in agreement.

"He's been a special thing very dear to me since the day he was conceived. The night that everything happened to cause his existence was also very special to me. Mom told you about what I told her, right?"

Toshio nodded his head, placing a hand on his son's shoulder and giving the boy a reassuring squeeze. He let his hand slide slowly off of his son's shoulder before turning from the merry scene set out before him to give his son his full attention.

"From what your mother told me, it seems that what Viktor Nikiforov did to you was a pretty traumatic thing. It was against your will, wasn't it?" Toshio asked, his eyes hardening at the thought. "I bet he didn't even ask for your permission before he went right on and harmed you."

"No, No! It was nothing like that dad, I promise!" Yuri protested, gazing distantly at his son's electric blue eyes. "I wouldn't have said that night was a special one to me had I not actually enjoyed it." Yuri stated truthfully, turning his gaze back to his father's surprised one. "I mean it, dad. It may have started out in a way that had frightened me to my very core, but somewhere before things got really personal, I found that I was enjoying myself quite immensely. I did end up freaking out quite a bit afterwards and it caused me to flunk quite greatly during competitions, but I couldn't have asked for a better outcome from it."

Yuri gazed lovingly at his son, waving at the boy when Yalenchka noticed him and smiled brightly and waved at him.

Toshio smiled and patted his son's back. "Well, as long as you're okay, I'm okay too."

"Thank you dad," Yuri replied, smiling down at his father. "If you don't mind watching over Yalenchka with mom, I'd like to pay my respects to Vicchan."

"I understand, Yuri," his father replied, nodding his head in the direction of his son. "You go on ahead and pay your respects, I'll help your mother watch over Yalenchka."

"Thank you," Yuri replied before leaving the room and walking down the hallway towards the room in which he would always play with Vicchan in.

...

Phichit took a selfie in the middle of the airport in St. Petersburg, throwing in a peace sign and a wink. He immediately uploaded it to Instagram, tagging Yuri to the picture so that his best friend would be one of the first people to see it. But, knowing his fans on the internet, he knew it may be a bit before Yuri does see the post.

'Now that I think about it, I haven't heard from Yuri in a few weeks. I wonder what he's up to?' Phichit thought to himself, going to the luggage carrier with Celestino right behind him, picking up his bags. The moment he grabbed them, he went to his contacts in his phone and scrolled down, looking for Yuri's number. Once he came across it, he pressed on the number and put his phone up to his ear, waiting for his friend to answer it.

"Hello?" Yuri's voice came through, sounding tired and worn out, almost as if Phichit had woken his friend from bed.

"Hello Yuri!" Phichit called out excitedly, smiling brightly at the sound of his friends voice. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"Oh no. You're fine Phichit," Yuri replied through the receiver, causing Phichit to sigh in relief. "Why do you ask? I thought you had our schedules down to a tee and knew when to call me. Actually," Yuri stated, trailing off for a moment, "you called me pretty late from the normal schedule. Where are you?"

"I'm in Russia for this year's Grand Prix!" Phichit announced excitedly, twirling in the middle of the airport and almost hitting his coach with his flying luggage.

"You made it to the Grand Prix?!" Yuri shouted through the phone in a panicked voice. "I can't believe I missed it! I've watched all of your performances but I don't remember you getting announced. I even forgot to congratulate you on making it! I'm such a terrible friend-"

"Yuri, I didn't make it to the Grand Prix this year," Phichit laughed, cutting off his friend. "I'm just here to watch. There's no need to panic."

Yuri sighed in relief on the other end of the phone.

"That's good. I would have felt terrible had I not known. I promised you that I'd be there in person when you finally made it and I won't break that promise."

"I'll be there next year Yuri, just you see!" Phichit assured. "I bet you'll be there too if you get back into skating for next season. That way, we can both skate on the same ice again as we had back in Detroit."

Yuri was silent on the other side and, for a moment, Phichit had thought his friend had hung up on him. Still walking, he pulled his phone away from his ear and looked to make sure before putting it back to his ear.

"Yuri?"

"I don't think I'm going to skate competitively anymore, Phichit," Yuri replied somberly.

"Eh?! Why not Yuri?! You're such a good skater!" Phichit called out frantically. He dragged his feet to catch up with Celestino, who had already called a cab to take them to their hotel.

"Well, the incident at my first Grand Prix seemed to make it clear that I'm not so great after all," Yuri replied.

Phichit angrily shoved his bags in the trunk of the cab, slamming the lid before sliding into the back seat.

"That was not you being you Yuri, and both of us know that! It wasn't your fault that you ended up performing the way you did. You could have been all the way up on the podium had Viktor not done what he did to you! Don't get me wrong, Yalenchka is a wonderful result of it, but had that not happened, you would definitely not have gotten last as you had!"

"I understand, Phichit. Believe me, I've thought about it so much that I'm almost tired of thinking entirely," Yuri replied truthfully. "It's not that I don't love to skate anymore, it's just that because of what I did, in front of the whole world no less, I've... lost all confidence I had in myself."

Phichit stayed quiet for a moment, lowering his eyes to his hands to allow his friend some time to come to terms with himself. Yuri sounded broken and he didn't quite understand what he can do for his friend.

'Maybe if he lets me tell Viktor where he is, Viktor can bring Yuri back into skating! He has still been searching for Yuri so that he can coach him... maybe Yuri will let me tell him?'

"Phichit," Yuri started in a slightly more uplifting tone, "I'm not in Moriyama anymore."

"You're not?" Phichit asked, surprised. "Where are you then?"

"Well, I contacted my parents a few weeks ago," Yuri began and trailed off, knowing his nest friend would get the gist of what he's saying.

"No way, you're back in Hasetsu?!" Phichit cried out happily, his face beaming into a smile and his eyes shining magnificently. "See? I told you your parents would love you even if you had a one night stand!"

Phichit giggled as Yuri groaned in annoyance. He could practically see the irritated look Yuri had on his face and he knew he was pressing firmly on his friends buttons. He stopped giggling when he heard Yuri sigh again, this time with a distressed tone to it. Immediately getting concerned, Phichit asked Yuri if he was feeling alright.

"I'm fine, Phicht," Yuri replied, almost in a whisper. "I'm just visiting with Vicchan right now."

"Oh," Phichit replied in an understanding tone. "Sorry to bother you then. I'll let you spend some time with him. I'll talk to you later Yuri."

"Yeah, I'll talk to you later," Yuri promised.

Before either of them hung up the phone, Phichit gasped out a frantic reply.

"Tell YinYin Uncle Phichit wished him a happy birthday!" Phichit shouted.

The cab driver sent a glare towards the Thai skater, muttering to Phichit to quiet down with broken English. Phichit just smiled sheepishly back at the driver before hearing Yuri on the phone again.

"He'll be quite happy to know that you remembered," Yuri replied in a lighter tone, the faintest hint of a smile breaking into his voice.

"Of course I remembered!" Phichit replied, almost hurt that Yuri would accuse him of not being able to remember the birth of his best friend's child. "I am the one who gave him his nickname for heaven's sake!"

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask, how did you get YinYin from Yalenchka?" Yuri asked, in a curious voice. "I haven't been able to figure it out quite yet."

"That's simple! Yin came from me saying the first part of Yalenchka's name really fast, and then I just added another Yin to make it even cuter because YinYin is the cutest thing ever!" Phichit exclaimed happily, a bright smile on his face.

"Such a Phichit thing for you to do," Yuri laughed, causing Phichit to pout.

"What do you mean by that?" Phichit asked in a worried tone with a childish pout coating it.

"Nothing bad, I promise," Yuri replied in a frantic tone, hoping that he hadn't offended his best friend in any way with his comment.

"Okay!" Phichit immediately brightened up and made a sound of disappointment when the cab stopped in front of the hotel that he and Celestino were staying at. "I'm at the hotel now, so I'll have to let you go."

"That's alright. I'll talk to you later Phichit."

"Bye!" Phichit called out, before Yuri ended the call. He locked phone and put it in his pocked before stepping out of the cab and into the chilly air of Russia. He shivered as it stabbed at his skin and moved to the back of the cab next to Celestino. Once he grabbed his bags, he waited on the curb for his coach

"I'm going to head to the skating rink nearby!" Phichit announced, throwing his bags onto his coach before taking off down the street.

"Phichit! Don't make me carry all of the bags up to the room myself!" Celestino cried hopelessly at his student, but the cries fell on deaf ears as Phichit ran with his skated in hand.

When he rounded the corner of the curb, Phichit slowed and caught his breath. The cold, dry air of Russia burnt his lungs and nipped fiercely at his skin. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat, holding his skates by their laces and causing them to bounce against his leg. His breath escaped him in puffs of smoke, floating and dissipating, only to be replaced by another bout of smoke.

Shivering as the cold started to seep through the openings of his coat and trailed up his arms, he pulled out his phone and opened up the directions to the rink nearby. He paused in his movements when he realized that he wasn't on the right path and turned around.

Cars passed by loudly as he walked. He saw many couples together, all of which were holding each other's hands and walking very close to each other. Every couple was either smiling or talking animatedly to their partner, showing the image of how perfect and beautiful the couples of Russia truly were. But, Phichit noticed, there were no gay couples around. At least not ones that were displaying their love freely for everyone to see.

It made Phichit wonder if such actions were frowned upon in Russia. His eyebrows furrowed in thought and he memorized the last few turns he would have to make before going to the magical realm called the internet and searching up his question. The internet always has an answer.

"They say it's more complicated being gay in Russia than you'd think. They say that even though gays are tolerated, they're still not totally accepted. ~"Russian society is very conservative and being gay is a deviation from the norm. Russian society can't accept anything outside the norm."~" Phichit mumbled to himself, frowning and clicking his tongue.

He locked his phone and shook his head, drawing into himself as he turned to look around. He felt weary around the people of Russia now that he knew that bit of information about their society. He suddenly felt as if the words 'Hey look, I'm GAY!' were branded to his forehead and he didn't quite like the fact he felt that way.

Who cares what the haters thought though? He was his own person and he could walk around parading that he's gay and he's proud and they could do nothing legally to harm him.

With that in his mind, knowing that nobody could do anything to him, he walked with a newfound confidence in himself.

Once he made it to the rink, he brightened considerably and raced into the doors. He rushed to the counter and tapped on the little bell multiple times very quickly until the owner of the rink came out to the counter, grumbling under his breath because of the annoyance. When the man came to the counter, Phichit smiled and held up his skates for the man to see.

"I came to skate here at the rink!" he told the man in English since he didn't know any Russian. "How much do I owe you to be able to skate for a couple of hours?"

"The rink is closed for a last minute private practice with a few members going into the Grand Prix Final," the man replied in a bored tone, glaring at the Thai boy.

Phichit cocked his head to the side in confusion before something clicked in his head. If it was a private practice, then that meant that Viktor was probably here and used this rink on a daily basis when he was in St. Petersburg.

Phichit, thinking quickly, pulled his skating certification out for the man to see, shoving it into the man's face and speaking quickly. "I'm also a certified skater! So you have to let me use the rink too."

"I'm sorry, but I can't-"

Phichit slammed a stack on money onto the counter and looked at the man with pleading eyes. The man stared at the money before pursing his lips and sliding it to his body slowly.

"I guess I can make an exception."


	8. Every New Challenge Comes With A Fall

The air was crisp and cold, nipping Yuri's skin and making him feel glad that he had been able to coarse Yalenchka into wearing his dark green coat, pale scarf, and his hat and gloves that were black. The sun was almost below the horizon, causing Yuri to walk faster with his son in his arms towards Ice Castle Hasetsu.

Yalenchka had practically begged Yuri to bring him to the skating rink once he was done laying his respects towards Vicchan. Yuri was against the idea of going because it was starting to get dark and the temperature was surely dropping at the moment. Because of it, Yalenchka was tearing up and sniffling before pulling out the pity card.

"But it's my birthday and you promised that I could start working on jumps today!"

Yuri couldn't argue with that face and those words, so he agreed to bring them there. That, of course, caused Yalenchka to stop crying immediately and jump for joy.

Yuri sighed as his son shivered in his grasp. He bit his lip and sighed in relief when he made it to the steps of the Ice Castle. He entered the door, relishing in the fact that the lobby was actually quite warm compared to the outside world. He heard Yalenchka sigh in relief as well, and set the boy down. His son immediately grabbed hold of his hand, causing Yuri to smile warmly as walk over to the staff window.

"Um, excuse me," he called out to the worker behind the window. She was putting up skates in the right place, determining if some skates were in the wrong place and fixing those as well.

When she noticed someone was there, she didn't even turn away from her task just yet, determined to get the last couple of pairs of skates on the shelves. It was silent for a moment as she grabbed the last pair of skates on the rolling rack behind her. As she placed them on the empty spot on the shelf, she finally acknowledged the customer at her window.

"I'm sorry, but we're closed," she replied, turning to her customer once she was finished placing her last pair of skated on the shelf. When she looked at the man standing there, her eyes widened considerably and a smile was brought to her face. She raced over to the window and leaned up against it enthusiastically with a look of astonishment. "Oh my gosh! Is it really you, Yuri?"

"Hi Yuko," Yuri replied, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"If you've been gone for ten years!" Yuko replied cheerfully. "But who's counting? It's so great to have you back!"

"It feels nice being back in Hasetsu. The familiar surrounding make me feel more at home."

Yuri felt a tug on his jacket and he looked down at his son, who was looking up at him through sad yet hopeful eyes, raising his skates up just a little so that Yuri knew what he wanted. With a smile, Yuri ran his hand through his son's hair and looked back up at Yuko.

"Can we use the rink for a little while? I know you said that it was closed, but I promised Yalenchka that he could skate today and I don't want to break that promise."

Yuko blinked, her eyes traveling to the small figure that stood next to Yuri, gripping Yuri's coat. Her eyes lit up at the sight of him, immediately taken by the boy's bright blue eyes and chubby cheeks.

"Aw! Now who's this little sweet pea?" she gushed, jumping over the counter and pulling Yalenchka into a hug and squeezing the five year old boy.

Yalenchka looked at Yuko strangely, pushing on her in hopes that he would be able to regain his freedom. He couldn't believe that this was the girl that his mother had constantly talked about when it came to telling him how he had started skating. This isn't how Yalenchka remembered Yuri explaining this girl to him at all.

"Mama, she isn't at all like you said she'd be," Yalenchka pointed out bluntly, causing Yuko to pause in her endeavor and allow for Yalenchka to escape from her grasp. Yalenchka rushed back to his mother's side, hiding behind his leg and peeking out to stare strangely at Yuko.

Yuko blinked at few times as the words Yalenchka spoke began to process in her mind. She stood from her crouched position, looking between Yuri and Yalenchka multiple times. Had she not heard what she had, she never would of thought that the boy had been Yuri's son. But, as she looked between the two, she could see the similarities. Yalenchka had Yuri's hair, obviously, but it looked as if the boy had decided that he wanted to grow it out. The shape of his eyes, though not the color, matched that of Yuri's as well. The rest of the boy's features, though, Yuko could tell that they came from the boy's mother.

But Yalenchka had called Yuri 'Mama'.

Could Yuri not be living with the girl that had helped create this adorable child and Yalenchka just called him mama out of habit?

Yuko couldn't wrap her mind around it, and she felt as if her brain was about to fry if she were to think about it much anymore.

Yuri, noticing just how much Yuko seemed to be thinking about his son's comment, spoke again quickly in hopes that she won't stress about it too much.

"I'll explain later," he promised, causing her to nod in acknowledgement.

"Okay, I don't see why I can't let out onto the rink," Yuko agreed finally, following Yuri and Yalenchka to the rink.

Once there, Yalenchka eagerly put on his skates, his sixth finger sticking out cutely along with his tongue as he tried to lace them up. Yuko awed loudly at the sight, thinking it cute that the boy looked so concentrated on his task. He fumbled slightly with the laces every once in a while, but soon enough, he was able to stand up with them tied, somewhat sloppily, and walk over to his mother with a bright grin on his face.

"Mama, look!" he called out excitedly, holding his feet out for Yuri to see. "I tied them all by myself! I did, I did!"

"You did!" Yuri exclaimed with a smile, clapping his hands just as excitedly. "I'm so proud of you YinYin!"

Yalenchka grabbed Yuri by the hand, dragging him to the rink with a little bit of a struggle. "Come on Mama! I want to skate and jump! Teach me, teach me!"

"Alright, I'm coming!" Yuri laughed and skated onto the ice with his son.

Yuri was constantly in a state of panic and almost had a heart attack multiple times as he was teaching his son how to do single jumps. Yalenchka fell more than a few times, some were much harder falls than others. There were times where his son would struggle to get back onto his feet and he would begin to panic and suggest that maybe Yalenchka could take a break, but The younger boy would have none of it. He insisted that he keep on going. He wanted to be able to perfect his jumps before they left.

He was being stubborn, just like Yuri remembered himself being, if not even more.

After another hefty fall, Yuri skated back over to his son and sighed, helping the boy to his feet. Yalenchka immediately tried to skate away to try and land a jump, but Yuri held him back and kneeled down in front of him. Yalenchka scowled and tried to get out of his mother's grasp.

"Mama, let me go! I have to land a jump! Please!" Yalenchka begged, struggling greatly under his mother's grip. He added his other hand to the struggle, but Yuri only held on tighter and sighed again.

Yuri used his free hand to tilt his son's head to where he was looking into his son's eyes.

"Yalenchka, look at me and please stop trying to get away from me," Yuri demanded in a soft tone. Yalenchka stopped struggling and looked his mother in the eyes and waited for Yuri to start speaking again. "Listen to me carefully, okay? These things take time to learn. You might not be able to land one right now because you only just started to try and do jumps today. I know you don't understand why it is that these things take time just yet, but you have to have the patience to learn and not strain yourself too much. We can come back tomorrow and have you try again, but I think you're done for today."

"But I'm not done!" Yalenchka pressed, his eyebrows furrowing in anger as he huffed and looked down at Yuri's hands and started to struggle. "I can still go! It's not like I've injured myself or anything!"

"Please look at me, YinYin. That's what you think. But what if you did end up getting hurt? If you got hurt, then you might not be able to skate again. Besides, you're also still growing a lot quicker because of how young you are. As your body grows, the more you have to adjust your landings with your jumps and everything else because even the smallest change in growth can throw everything off."

Yalenchka hand stopped struggling at this point and looked from Yuri to the ice with a saddened look by this time. Yuri knew that he was really upsetting his son, but it was necessary. He loosened his grip on his son and let him go. Yalenchka didn't move, instead opting to still look down at the ice.

"You understand now how important it is to stop now, don't you?" Yuri asked. Yalenchka nodded his head. "Alright, let's get you off the ice then."

"You have to skate papa's routine though for Yuko!" Yalenchka demanded, stopping right before the edge of the ice and turning around, crossing his arms. "You promised that you would show her!"

"Maybe later," Yuri replied, silently promising to himself that he would come back later tonight to show it to Yuko. He picked up his son and set him on the other side of the barrier and helped take off his skates. "I need to get you home. It's way past your bedtime."

"Aww! But I don't want to go to bed!" Yalenchka cried, tears prickling his eyes.

"If you go to bed when we get home, I'll consider bringing you back here tomorrow, how does that sound?"

Yalenchka's eyes widened considerably in happiness and he nodded his head excitedly. He relaxed and allowed his mother to take off his skates and he put his shoes back on, standing off to the side as Yuri went to talk to Yuko.

"I'm going to come back later after he goes to bed," Yuri told her. She nodded her head.

"I'll just give you the key then so that you can let yourself in.'

"No, stay here," Yuri replied, stopping her from handing him a key. "I want to explain things to you and I want to show you something."

Yuko nodded her head in understanding and hugged him. Yuri jumped in her hold in shock, but she just held on tighter. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.

"I'll be here waiting for you, then," she whispered, pulling back. "Just take your time, I understand how much of a handful kids can be at bedtime, so I promise I'm not going anywhere."

Yuri nodded his head, smiling before going back to yalenchka and picking his son up and pulling him close. Yalenchka struggled in his mother's grasp, trying to pull away and making grunts of effort.

"Mama," Yalenchka drawled out, "I can walk myself!"

"It's too cold, so I'm going to help keep you warm."

"But mama! I'm wearing layers upon layers of clothes, I'll be warm enough!"

"Not enough for me!" Yuri teased.

"Mama!"


	9. This Game

Viktor skated slowly around the rink, occasionally doing a spin or a jump on the ice. His mind was deep in thought, creating a new routine for the next season, something he knew was irresponsible and unnecessary since the current season had yet to end. But he couldn't help it when a certain song played through his headphones. The song really inspired him and was different compared to the rest of them he had skated to.

When the song would start over again after a few times of playing, he'd begin skating the routine he was creating up to the point where he had not decided what the next move would be. He then let his body do what he thought was natural. Most times he would step out of his sequence and begin thinking again and he very rarely added something new. As it stands, this new routine had barely even developed past fifteen seconds into the song.

Creating a new routine at the moment was one thing that Viktor knew that he shouldn't be doing at that moment, but he couldn't help it. The moment that the song had played in his music, he began to feel like this should be his next routine for figure skating. His mind had been set once the decision was made and he fell into the familiar routine of creating choreography for his music. He knew that skating to that song would definitely surprise his audience with something unexpected of him.

If he skated the next season, that is.

Reaching his prime years had been quite the journey for Viktor. He had been winning gold since the beginning of his competitive skating career; the only exceptions were when his body underwent it's natural course of growth in the middle of competition season, and yet he would never yet below a silver then. Winning gold all of the time did bring in money for his living expenses, but it ended up getting old for Viktor.

Boring seemed to be the appropriate word.

It was boring for the Russian skater to win gold all of the time. He was bored with the comments of the spectators and judges saying how everything he does should be expected. Plus, he constantly heard people saying how he was always trying to do something unexpected to wow the crowd, and others would revoke that statement from them by saying, "Then that means everyone is just going to end up expecting the unexpected."

He knew his audience was getting bored of expecting the unexpected, now dubbed the expected. He shook his head, stopping his skating and sighing before taking his ear buds out of his ears. Skating wasn't the answer to wowing his crowd anymore. Skating in any form was going to be 'expected' of him, as would him announcing retirement to the world.

That's not what he wanted to do anyway. He hadn't even thought of retirement as an option until much later in his life. His love for skating was too large to just give it up that easily. Viktor wanted to skate, wanted to be able to express himself on the ice, wanted to be able to leave his home country as often as possible, and skating gave him that possibility.

Most of all, he still wanted to surprise his audience with things they'd never seen him do before. He just didn't know how he could do that anymore.

When he stopped skating on the ice, he finally was able to focus on other things beside his music, like the sound of two arguing people at the front desk behind the doors to the lobby. Intrigued, he skated to the edge of the rink and leaned against the wall that separated ice from ground and listened.

He couldn't make out the words being said between the owner of the rink and the occupant on the other side because the sound was being muffled by the doors, but he knew that they were arguing about whether or not the new arrival could get to the rink itself.

This had happened enough for Viktor to know how it went down. At first Viktor felt horrible keeping people away from skating just so he could practice a routine he'd been practicing for the longest time. He wanted others to enjoy the ice, so he would end his session early when people from the public would come in to skate. As time passed, though, Yakov rubbed off on him in the aspect that he needed all the time he could get to practice on his routines alone.

Even if he wasn't really practicing.

He kept listening to the argument, though, because it was lasting longer than most he had been the cause of. The man was so persistent on skating that Viktor finally heard his voice drop as if pleading. Then, it rose again before it was silent. Viktor jumped from fright when he heard something being slammed on the counter outside, worrying about the manager of the ice rink before he heard the man muffle a reply.

Within a matter of seconds, the double doors to the rink slammed open and caused Viktor to jump high up in the air, nearly losing his balance when he landed back on the ice.

"Viktor! I just knew you'd be here when the manager said that the rink was being used for a private practice!"

Viktor was pleasantly surprised when he noticed that it was Phichit who slammed his way through the door. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that he wouldn't have to deal with an extremely crazed fan. Last time that happened, he left the rink with one less shirt and missing one of his socks. Needless to say, he was frozen stiff by the time he returned home that day.

"Phichit! Did you come to watch me skate my amazing performance before the rest of the world does tomorrow?" Viktor asked, winking as Phichit as the man quickly laced on his skated.

"I actually came to talk to you about something really important!" Phichit replied earnestly, tying the laces of his skates before taking to the ice.

"Really?" Viktor asked, raising an eyebrow before pouting childishly. "And here I was thinking that you wanted to watch me skate."

"You give yourself so much credit," Phichit replied with a hearty laugh and a smile. "You deserve the credit though. Anyways, as much as I love seeing you skate, I came to talk about something even more important."

"What could be more important right now with the Grand Prix starting tomorrow?" Viktor asked in confusion, tilting his head and bringing his hand to his face in thought.

"It's about Yuri!"

"Yuri is training at another rink in hopes to beat me this year, in which he hasn't even come close in previous ones."

"Not Yuri Plisetsky, Yuri Katsuki!"

"Yuri?!" Viktor called out in surprise, his eyes widening as he skated quickly over to Phichit and grabbed the Thai skater in desperation. "Is everything all right with him?"

"Oh, everything's fine," Phichit laughed, waving his hand to signal that nothing was wrong. "I just wanted you to know that he's back home!"

"Really?!" Viktor asked in amazement, smiling brightly at the thought of knowing that Yuri was home. Maybe now he could go and see Yuri and do what he set himself out to do in the first place.

Be Yuri's coach.

Viktor was about to step off the ice and grab his phone. He was dead set on scheduling to be on the next flight to Japan and go to Yuri and coach him, but Phichit, knowing exactly what Viktor was planning to do, held the older man back on the ice. Viktor nearly fell back because of the action and turned to look at Phichit.

"I wasn't even supposed to tell you yet because Yuri never gave me permission," Phichit stated, only letting go of Viktor when he was sure that the older man wouldn't race off the ice. "So if you just suddenly appear in Hasetsu without warning or anything major happening, Yuri will know that I told you and I would get myself in trouble with my best friend. So you can't just book a flight right now and go. Besides, you have to skate at the Grand Prix anyways! You can't just disappear like that."

Sighing, Viktor leaned against the edge of the rink and looking out one of the windows at the sides of the rink. He knew that Phichit was right about all of it. Yuri was naturally reserved, he knew, and he was just part of the lucky few that saw him without reserves when he performed at the Grand Prix six seasons ago. Plus, he was skating this year and if he suddenly disappeared, panic would break out.

But there was one thing that he didn't understand.

"So he wants me to see him at one point, then?" Viktor asked.

"Huh?"

"You said that Yuri didn't give you permission to tell me yet," Viktor pressed, causing Phichit to sweat a little as he realized his mistake.

It seemed that Viktor really could pay attention to context when he wanted to.

"Um... yes!" Phichit replied with caution, trying to laugh off his mistake. "But don't tell him I told you that! He'd kill me."

 _'Besides,'_ Phichit thought with almost deadly intent, sending a subconscious glare at the silver haired man, _'Yuri may seem like he doesn't mind anymore on what you did to him, but I still can't fully accept it. I've only been this nice to you since then because I knew Yuri would be upset if I wasn't. His admiration for you is clouding his true feelings and I know it.'_

Viktor hardly noticed the glare and Phichit fumed silently as Viktor's attention seemed elsewhere.

 _'If I could, I would castrate you right now as punishment.'_

"Okay, I won't!" Viktor replied in an upbeat tone to block how upset he was that he couldn't go and see Yuri even though said skater had wanted him to at some point. "But what will it take for me to see Yuri?"

"He either has to give you permission or something amazingly impossible has to happen that gives you the chance to show up unexpected and with a reason."

Both of their phones went off simultaneously at that moment and Phichit, one that can't get enough of his social media, took off across the ice and past the barrier. Viktor followed suit at a slower pace, watching as Phichit put on his brackets and walked over to his phone and pulling up whatever notification it was. When he stepped off of the ice himself, he put his own brackets on and went to his phone.

Before he turned it on, he saw the amazed yet shocked look that was plastered on Phichit's face as said boy was watching something. Viktor raised his eyebrows before opening his phone and looking at the notification sent to him. He was sent a link to a video and he clicked on it, reading the title.

 **'Yuri Katsuki of Japan Tries to Skate to Viktor Nikiforov's 'Stay With Me' Performance!'**

Viktor, astounded that Yuri Katsuki would skate to the performance that he was skating the very next day, clicked on the video and watched with fascination as Yuri skated. The video had no music, but Viktor could practically hear the music radiating from Yuri's body as he skated an exact copy if Viktor's routine.

Viktor even thought that Yuri almost skated it better than he did. It was all astounding.

Looking up from the video, Viktor showed his phone to Phichit with a smile. Phichit, on the other hand, looked paler than a ghost and was shaking.

"Does this fit in the category of 'Something amazingly impossible'?"

He knew exactly how he could surprise his audience next season.

... .:":.

After his meltdown, Yuri took to the dining room of the hot springs with a less than pleased expression. He hadn't expected for Yuko's kids to be recording him skating to Viktor's performance, so he wasn't all that upset. But there was always that chance that Viktor himself had seen the video that had been uploaded.

That was what was worrying Yuri the most.

His parents had yet to find out about it, but he knew that within a matter of days or hours, they would know about it as well. Customers would ask them about it, so it seemed that the whole world was going to know about it within a matter of weeks.

This was not something that Yuri wanted to happen. He knew that now that he had been found after years of being off the radar, they would be talking about him for the longest time. Longer than he would like, anyway. There was no way that he could hide anymore. The world knew that he was back in Hasetsu, Japan. Hopefully they would not bother the inn, because Yuri found this as one of his only safe havens in the world at the moment.

It definitely wasn't the greatest news to wake up to in the morning.

When he made it to the dining room, he noticed that his parent's were already awake, as were most of the guests, and his son was awake as well. He let his annoyed façade leave him and he smiled, chuckling to himself when he noticed that his son was building a fort out of the tatami mats in the middle of the room. His parent's, along with some of the guests, were happily helping Yalenchka create a fort.

"We need to finish quickly!" Yalenchka voiced as he put up another chair for support and grabbing a blanket from a pile set off to the side. He threw it over the chair as well as another that was stacked on top, covering any holes and creating a larger section to the fort. "The castle needs to be done quickly so that way there is a base where we can protect the kingdom of Hasetsu!"

The blankets were pulled tight and the fort was constantly being expanded, almost filing the entire area of the room. It was also tall enough that if Yuri were to go inside, he'd be able to stand tall and almost walk freely.

It was quite impressive really. He wondered just how long it would take for his son to have the entirety of Hasetsu wrapped around his little fingers.

"Mama!" Yuri looked over to his son, who was waving him over and smiling brightly at him, his black hair sticking up in many different places and his blue eyes lighting up excitedly. "Come and help us put up the castle! By the time we're done, it might be time for papa to skate!"

"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" Yuri called out and made his way over to his son, laughing lightly.

He picked up Yalenchka and kissed the boy's forehead, causing his son to laugh lovingly and kiss him back in the forehead. Yuri smiled and began to blow on Yalenchka's stomach and nuzzle it playfully, causing Yalenchka to explode with laughter as he tried to stop his mother from tickling him.

When Yuri set down his son, Yalenchka seemed winded, but the boy also looked extremely happy, which was something that Yuri never got tired of. Yalenchka threw a blanket into his hands and began to instruct Yuri on how they were creating the castle. Following the instructions, he helped his son with the building process and laughed along with everyone else when a mistake was made and Yalenchka began to explain how to do the process again.

"No, you have to go like this!"

Yuri began to have so much fun being with his family that he completely forgot about the video that went viral.

... .:":.

Once the fort was finished, Yuri stood with his son on his hip and marveled at it alongside his parents and the townspeople who had taken part in the construction. Had he not been a part of the building process, he never would have believed that his son was in charge of the construction. He would have thought it was being run by one of the townspeople that let his son have all of the credit because it was Yalenchka's idea to create the castle.

To be quite honest, it was the best indoor fort that Yuri had ever laid his eyes on.

The inside even allowed for free movement of a person and the pillars, the chairs, were spaced about in a way that was just perfect for support and not get in the way when someone wished to walk through. Somehow, Yalenchka was even able to make the Tatami mats sit on the outside and create little windows that opened when they were rolled up.

He was highly impressed with the skill that his son portrayed in the area of construction.

"Can we watch papa skate now, mama?" Yalenchka asked, pulling on Yuri's shirt and looking at Yuri with puppy eyes. Yalenchka had no need to give the eyes because, even though they work every time that he uses them, Yuri was going to let them watch it anyway.

"Of course," he replied, setting his son down and grabbing his little hand in his. "Why don't you help me make some popcorn and then you, me, Jiji and Ji-san can all watch papa skate. How does that sound?"

"Let's do it!"


	10. Stay With Me

The residents of the inn all sat inside of the fort that had been created, popcorn in their laps as they waited for Yuri and Toshio to finish transfering the public television into the fort. Yalenchka was seated in front of them all, telling the story of the time when he was first introduced to the world of Power Rangers.

"Mama was trying to clean up the house that day," Yalenchka began explaining. "I like to help mama, but that day mama wanted to clean by himself for a while and said some of the cleaning he was doing could hurt me because of how small I was. So instead of putting on music like we normally do, mama decided to let me watch something on the TV.

"It was so cool when he went to the Power Rangers show! The people were jumping all around the screen and fighting the bad guys and it was all so cool! I even watched the entire season of it while mama finished cleaning and then when I was done with it, the whole house was really nice and neat and clean and just... wow!" Yalenchka threw his arms up in the air and fell back on the pillows gathered along the ground.

The members of the inn laughed at his excitement, the mood in the air playful and happier as Yalenchka told story after story. Yalenchka thoroughly enjoyed expressing himself and was constantly in high spirits and laughing with the townspeople. He was also getting close with everyone he talked to; he remembered their names and was even invited, along with Yuri, to go to their homes for dinner or a play date with their children.

Yalenchka hardly even noticed it, but he had everyone in the immediate area wrapped around his little finger. The entirety of Hasetsu will soon follow behind once word gets out about the boy. Yuri was quite sure of that, and he knew that his son got all of his likable charms from his father and would be cause for attention when he grew older.

Yuri plugged the TV into the extension cord and his father turned it on. The screen sprang to life, catching everyone's attention.

"Alright everyone," Yuri began, changing the channel to that of the ice skating viewing, "who's ready to watch some talented figure skating?"

"Me, me!" Yalenchka jumped up, raising his hand high in the air and waving it excitedly. "I wanna watch papa skate!"

Yuri chuckled and moved to sit down, pulling his son into his lap. Yalenchka excitedly got into a comfortable poition and began to wiggle as the commercials came to a close.

"Papa is going to be the last one to skate today, so we have to watch all of the other performances too," Yuri explained, waving his mother and father over and patting the seat next to him. "Come sit by us; we don't bite."

"You three get comfy," Hiroko told them as she began to leave the fort. "I'm going to go and grab Mari! That boy that looks like her idol will be skating tonight I believe, and I don't think she'd want to miss him skate."

"We'll be waiting for you, dear," Toshio replied, kissing her cheek before making his way to sit next to Yuri and Yalenchka.

"I'll be back!" Hiroko announced before leaving.

"But mama!" Yalenchka complained, pouting and grabbing a fistful of Yuri's shirt as he turned in his mothers lap. His bottom lip jutted out as he looked into Yuri's brown eyes and he gave his best puppy eyes. "I wanna watch papa skate now! The other skaters don't matter because they won't win anyway!"

"YinYin, that's not very nice," Yuri scolded, tapping gently on Yalenchka's nose a few times with a disapproving look. "Just because they aren't papa doesn't mean that they aren't as good! It's bad sportsmanship to not care for all of the competitors. They work just as hard as your papa does or they wouldn't be in the final competing against him."

"Oh, sorry," Yalenchka replied, going silent as his grip on Yuri's shirt loosened. He looked down at his hands and began to tear up. Yuri flinched when he noticed that his son was wearing the expression of a kicked puppy. He really didn't like to upset his son, and that's exactly what he'd gone and done. On the other hand, he couldn't let his son grow up to be rude, so it was necessary.

"Mama?"

"YinYin?"

"What's sportsmanship?"

Yuri laughed slightly as Yalenchka looked up at him with a confused look and glossy eyes. He ruffled his son's soft hair with his hand, smiling at the clueless boy. Even though Yalenchka was able to comprehend most things easily, it still slipped Yuri's mind sometimes that the boy was only a child.

"Sportsmanship is where you have a healthy bond with all of your competitors and wish all of them luck in winning the competition," Yuri explained. "Bad sportsmanship can really hurt other competitors feelings because that means that you are rude to your competition and, in most cases, hoping that something goes wrong for them so you can be better."

"What's an example of bad sportsmanship, mama?" Yalenchka asked curiously, turning back around in Yuri's lap and snuggling up close to his mother, leaning his head on Yuri's shoulder and tilting his head cutely up at Yuri.

Yuri tilted his head up, bringing a finger to his lips and humming in thought. He tapped his finger a few times before a couple appropriate examples came along in his mind. He smiled at his son and raised one of his fingers.

"One example is giving a competitor the cold shoulder. That means that you just don't talk to them or interact with them at all, even when they try to be friends with you." Yalenchka nodded to his words, blinking as understanding began to fill his eyes. Yuri raised a second finger. "Or a competitor will try to put you down with hurtful words."

"So does that mean that one of papa's friends has bad sportsmanship?" Yalenchka asked, causing Yuri to furrow his eyebrows.

"What makes you say that?" Yuri asked, putting his hand into his son's hair and stroking softly.

"You said that one of papa's friends kicked your stall in the bathroom one time and began to say mean things to you and called you a baka," Yalenchka told his mother, bringing up the story Yuri had told him a long time ago. "That's bad sportsmanship, right?"

Yuri sighed as he remembered that day and nodded his head. "Yes, that's bad sportsmanship." Yuri placed his forehead on his son's and smiled at the boy. "Your papa has really good sportsmanship and wishes everyone luck at each competition. Now, are you going to be someone with good sportsmanship or bad sportsmanship?"

"Good!" Yalenchka cheered gleefully, giggling. "I wanna be like papa and be the kindest person ever!"

Yuri laughed at his son's enthusiasm. "That's my good boy!" He began to kiss Yalenchka all over the boy's face, causing his son to giggle in glee and flush red in happiness. He placed one last kiss on the top of his son's head, deep in Yalenchka's soft locks, right as his mother returned with Mari.

"Just in time, dear," Toshio greeted with a smile as his wife took a seat next to him. "The commercials are just ending."

"Who do you think is going to win?" Mari asked, sitting on Yuri's other side.

"Obviously Viktor will win," one of the members of the inn replied, a dreamy look in her eyes as she thought about Viktor.

"I don't know, Ruka," her partner countered. "That Yuri Plisetsky just might give Viktor a run for his money. It's been close between the two for the last four years and Viktor is reaching his prime as a skater. Yuri, on the other hand, still has a long time to improve."

"Viktor can pull through this year, I just know it, Senri!" Ruka exclaimed to her counterpart, wiggling in her seat. "If he could skate like he did five years ago, then Russian Yuri wouldn't stand a chance!"

"Whatever you say."

"It doesn't matter who wins," another member inputted. "They will all put on a magnificent show and, in the end, it's all up to the judges. These skaters could quite literally do the exact thing they do today, tomorrow, and the results would be different because what the judges feel will be different."

"Everyone quiet please!" Yalenchka shouted, holding up his hands before bringing them quickly back into his lap. His eyes shined in excitement and he leaned closer to the TV. "It's starting!"

"We bring you to the spectacular event of the men's figure skating Grand Prix Final! These men have all worked very hard to gain a spot in this year's final and all have finally made it!" the reporter informed the audience.

The camera paned to the ice, where each competitor was practicing and warming up for the event. The reporter began to name off each competitor and different cameras were switched to, each one focusing on each competitor as they were names off.

"Our first skater today is Cao Bin from China, returning after six years to the final for his last competition as a competitive figure skater. He plans to retire after this season and hopes to be able to make the podium."

The camera then paned to a serious looking skater with slicked black hair and dark brown eyes.

"Up next will be Otabek Altin from Kazakhstan, returning to the Grand Prix after a two year break from an ankle injury. Let's hope Altin will finish this season without a reoccuring injury."

A man with a fade cut and blue eyes appeared on the screen next, smirking gleefully as he jumped in the air to perform a triple axel.

"Third in the lineup today will be Jean Jaquez Leroy from Canada for his third Grand Prix. He was fourth and almost on the podium last year and one of the pieces he is skating to this year was created by a dedicated fan of his. This year he has told us that he is skating for his wife and loving two year old daughter, Amanda Leroy."

The camera panned to a blond haired man with stubble on his chin, doing a camel spin near the edge of the rink

"Our fourth competitor is Christophe Giacometti from Switzerland, returning for his eighth consecutive Grand Prix final. He had made the podium every year he has made it to the final, but has yet to reach the top spot."

The camera panned to a boy with medium length blond hair and blue eyes, practicing the begining of his shirt program to work on timing.

"Our fifth skater of the day is Yuri Plisetsky from Russia, returning to the grand prix final for the fifth year running. Each year he has competed he has placed second. He informed us that he has been practicing very hard in hopes to surpass Viktor Nikiforov."

The silver haired man appeared on the screen once his name was said, his arms stretched away from him as he picked up speed for a jump.

"Viktor Nikiforov will be our final skater of the day and skating for the eleventh time here at the Grand Prix final. He has won gold at all of the finals except for his first two years, where he instead won silver and his coach explained that he would have gotten gold had Nikiforov not been undergoing a change in his body."

"Yeah, go papa!" Yalenchka called out, pumping one of his little fists in the air. "I'm going to give you the luck of my sixth finger so that way you perform your best, okay?" Yalenchka informed the screen as Viktor jumped into the air. The young boy wriggled out of Yuri's lap and placed the hand with six fingers on the screen right as Viktor landed. Smiling, Yalenchka spoke again. "Only you and mama are allowed to borrow the luck from my luck finger, so use it good papa!"

Yuri smiled at the innocence of his son, laughing lightly before calling the boy back over. "Papa will definitely use the luck you gave him."

"You really think so?!" Yalenchka asked brightly, turning with a hopeful look on his face. He was given an encouraging smile from Yuri.

"Of course!" Yuri replied, motioning to his lap. "Now come and sit down so that everyone else can see."

"Okay!"

The skaters left the rink at that time and began to get their costumes on for the competition.

"The performances will start in a few minutes, skater Cao Bin from China will be skating first. We will be back in a few minutes and allow our skaters time to change into their costumes."

... .:":.

"You aren't going to get changed, Viktor?"

Viktor looked up from where he was standing and saw the face of Phichit looking down at him and leaning over the railing of the stands. The Thai skater waved down at him, smiling before making the trek down the stands to stand in front of Viktor.

"I have at least twenty minutes until it's my turn to skate," Viktor replied, waving in return as Phichit moved towards him. "So I'll watch the first two skaters before I change and I might be able to watch Yuri skate if I change quick enough."

"You have the Grand Prix schedule down to a science," Phichit laughed, pulling out his phone. "Let me guess, you have Worlds down to a science as well?"

"Worlds is different every year," Viktor replied, smiling brightly when Phichit pulled him close for a selfie. Once the picture was taken, Phichit uploaded it to Instagram and Viktor continued to speak. "Depending on who's skating and which country is holding it, the schedule changes slightly because of the announcements and the preparation itself."

"Still, you probably know it better than most anybody in the world, since you have gone to skate there more than anyone else," Phichit stated in a matter of fact tone.

"I know that some dedicated fans probabaly have the worlds schedule down to a science," Viktor pointed out. "There are fans of skating that have gone to see worlds more than I've qualified to compete in it."

"Gee, for being such a numbskull, you can really be smart sometimes," Phichit whispered under his breath, huffing.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Viktor pouted childishly, hearing the low comment that Phichit had made about him.

"Ah, it's fine! Means nothing!" Phichit replied, startled and waving his hand. "Why don't you change now so that way you might be able to watch a few extra performances. You could always put your warm-up suit on to cover the actual costume until it's time if you wanted to."

Viktor's eyes widened in realization and he nodded his head, smiling at Phichit for the advice. "I never thought of it that way! I think I just might go and do that!"

"Get going then so that way you can get in the locker room before everyone else starts to change," Phichit replied, turning the Russian skater around and edging him towards the exit. "I doubt any of them would like to have the door wide open so everyone can see them while they're changing." Viktor laughed.

"Chris wouldn't mind," he pointed out.

"Chris is Chris," Phichit replied exasperatedly, "but the other skaters might be more self conscious of their bodies. So get going!" With one final shove, Viktor was sent on his way.

Viktor sighed as he made his way to the locker room, letting himself get lost in thought. His feet padded along the ground, not making a sound over the voices that milled in the air around him. A few people came up to him, asking for autographs or interviews. He politely declined the interviews and asked to wait for interviews until after he skated. However, he did decide to sign autographs when he was asked so he didn't seem too rude.

He hardly noticed when he was signing photos or declining interviews, though, because he was thinking of something he thought more important.

Yuri Katsuki.

The man had been on Viktor's mind constantly ever since the reveal of the video the day prior. He had been so entranced by the way Yuri moved that, once he finished practicing at the rink and skating some with Phichit, he immediately went home, sat on his couch, and watched the video over and over again for hours.

Skating was a passion of Yuri's, and it was further proven when the video was released and Phichit confirmed it the day before. He was told by Phichit that Yuri had been skating since he was five, his friend introducing the sport to him. Apparently, ever since Yuri started to skate on the ice, he wanted to become an amazing skater.

Reluctantly, Phichit also told him of Yuri's quite noticable obsession with Viktor.

Phichit said that Yuri told him the moment that he saw Viktor skate on TV, he was immediately entranced by Viktor's performance. He had told Phichit that he wanted to be as great as Viktor someday and began to practice as best he could. When Viktor had posed with Makkachin for a picture as a teen and they published it on a magazine, Phichit said that Yuri's friend got ahold of it and showed it to Yuri. Not long afterwards, Yuri had his own poodle and named him after Viktor himself.

Vicchan was his poodle's name. Quite a cute pet name, if Viktor said so himself.

He wouldn't mind being called Vicchan.

Yuri also apparently had posters of Viktor everywhere on his walls; every different kind of official poster released was somewhere inside of the boy's room. Though Viktor would normally think that sort of thing a little creepy coming from a fan of his, Viktor found that when it was Yuri collecting things about him, it was cute.

Yuri, himself, was cute.

Viktor had never been able to lie convincingly, especially to himself. The moment that he saw Yuri skate to his own program was the moment he truly realized just how hard he'd fallen. But, as he thought about it more and more, thought about Yuri more and more, he realized his attraction to the Japanese skater had been there for much longer.

The night of the banquet at Yuri's first Grand Prix was where he found attraction to Yuri. It was where he realized Yuri was a magnificent, confident person behind a shy exterior. It was where he realized that Yuri had another side of him that was alluring, commanding, sexy, and hidden daily by an attractive, adorable, cute personality.

It was where Viktor officially fell in love Yuri Katsuki.

The admittance to himself filled him with understanding and Viktor placed a hand over his heart, a long breath escaping his lips. Warmth spread all over his body, expanding from his rapidly beating heart. He imagined holding Yuri's hand in his own, the warmth it would radiate, and he relished in the thought that Yuri was most likely sitting at home, watching the Grand Prix, watching all of the competitors.

Watching him.

He felt like he was receiving a silent pair of voices in his heart, wishing him the best of luck here at the Grand Prix. He clenched the clothing over his heart and sighed in gratitude, smiling.

'Yuri, if you'll be watching, please don't take your eyes off of me. I'm skating for you, which is why I chose the music I did.

Yuri, I hope you'll stay with me.'


	11. Challenge (EXPLICIT)

"Viktor Nikiforov, many of your fans wish to know what you have in store for the next season!"

"I have it all planned out in my head!"

"Do you mind giving us a sneak peak into next year's competitions?"

"I can't because it's a surprise!"

"Viktor Nikiforov, how do you feel about the fact that your audience is beginning to expect your surprises and, therefore, your surprises are no longer a surprise? Do you really think that next year you will be able to surprise your audience as you claim?"

Viktor sighed and smiled brightly, hiding behind his public appearance. He sat next to his friend Yuri Plisetsky and the other competitor that placed third, Cao Bin. The joy that he could feel coming from Cao Bin was something that he hoped that he would feel, even just for a moment. The Chinese man seemed so elated to have made the podium, and had claimed that he can officially retire on a level that he was satisfied with. Yuri said he still had a lot of fight left in him and wouldn't stop until he passed Viktor on the podium.

On the other hand, Viktor wanted to leave as quickly as possible. He no longer enjoyed these interviews after the Grand Prix. They were all repetitive, all claiming and asking the same things over and over again. He was sick and tired of answering to those same questions every year, replying with the exact same answer that he had been giving for the longest time.

After eleven years of skating at the Grand Prix, couldn't they tell that his answers would be the same and just leave him alone? There were others that made it to the podium that obviously wanted the attention of the press more than he did.

Viktor feigned a thoughtful look, bringing his hand to his face to give the reporters the image that he seemed to be thinking about the question for the first time. In reality, Viktor had an entire mantra set up in his head, but he wasn't planning on venting in front of the press like he so wished he could do. If he ever did that, Yakov would have his head and his public appearance that he had been grooming since he was a teen would be completely destroyed.

"I like to think that I am still very capable of surprising my audience, even if they don't think that I am capable of doing that anymore. As long as I am able to believe that I have the power to surprise my fans, then I will continue to skate with all of my heart. And yes, I do believe that I will be able to surprise everyone next season. I promise that what I do will be something that I have never done before, but have thought very heavily on for the past few years. An opportunity just arose to where I will be able to do such thing and I will reach for it until I have it."

"Viktor, how do you feel about Japanese figure skater Yuri Katsuki suddenly appearing back on the grid after so long and skating to the routine that you created for this year's competition?"

Any feeling of ignorance and hatred left Viktor at the question. Viktor smiled, the first sense of happiness he truly felt since the begining of the interview blooming in his chest. Talking about Yuri always made him happy, and if the press wanted him to talk about the Japanese figure skater, then he had absolutely no problem with that.

"To be honest, I feel quite inspired that a talented skater such as Yuri was able to skate my performance like he had," Viktor replied honeatly with a tone of admiration, stunning all of the reporters into silence. "He not only was able to skate it so perfectly, but he made it his own. He created music with his body and it looked like he enjoyed himself as he skated. The pressure of competition wasn't on his shoulders and it allowed the world to see what he's truly capable of. You saw him at his first and only Grand Prix, right? He flubbed almost all of his jumps and he seemed very off and not himself. I'm not sure what you saw, but I saw a man going through a tough time and filled with too much worry to focus on his skating, yet I couldn't take my eyes off of him. That year just wasn't a great year for him and I believe that if he chose to skate competitvely again, he would surely give me a challenge at retaining my title as World Reknowned Figure Skater."

Viktor, after a moment of silence, began to feel a little uncomfortable. He shifted slightly in his seat, ruffling his red jumpsuit and cast his gaze from reporter to reporter. It was so quiet that Viktor cleared his throat lightly, glancing briefly at both of the other competitors that sat beside them.

Yuri was about to input something about the question that Viktor finished answering, but Cao Bin was able to beat him to the punch.

"Viktor is quite right," the Chinese skater made input, causing the reporters to turn to him and begin to flash pictures. He smiled brightly before continuing. "I find that people who are inspired by Viktor and take action to better themselves can truly cause for great competition. I skated in the Grand Prix the year Yuri Katsuki had and I, just like Viktor, was able to see that Yuri had not even come close to a quarter of his ability those two days. Had he performed as well as he could have, he would have been on the podium that year and I, myself, would have been knocked to sixth."

Cao turned to Viktor and held out a hand to the gold medalist. Viktor blinked in surprise, smiling when he noticed the Chinese man grinning.

"Viktor Nikiforov, if you and Yuri Katsuki ever skate on the ice at the same time again, I'll be sure to watch you two compete head to head."

"I hope you'll root for me then when it happens," Viktor stated, a knowing grin plastered on his face as he clasped his hand in Cao's.

"I might root for the underdog, Mr. Nikiforov," Cao replied, shaking Viktor's hand effectively. "I'll wish you luck, though, because Katsuki can knock you right off that top spot in no time."

"I'll take that luck and store it for when the day comes, then," Viktor assured, unclasping his hand from Cao's. He turned back to the reporters that have began to bustle about excitedly at the challenge that Viktor threw out there, smiling at the cameras.

'There's the spark, Yuri,' Viktor thought, answering more questions that were thrown at him and hoping that Yuri was watching. 'Take it and ignite your passion for skating back to life. Soon, you will be back to skating on the ice and competing. Though, it may be a while before we compete against each other.'

...

Yuri tossed and turned in his bed, squeezing his eyes shut in hopes of finally being able to sleep. His body was exhausted from taking down the large fort on the main room and from going to skate at the rink after he put Yalenchka to sleep. But, even though his body was exhausted, his mind was not. His mind was whirling in ways that made him almost dizzy.

Viktor had challenged him.

Viktor Nikiforov challenged him to a skate off in the future.

Viktor wanted to skate against Yuri on the same ice.

And he announced it to the whole world.

The thought sent a spark of thrill through Yuri's body, and he began to get excited over the thought of skating with Viktor again; he wanted to see Viktor. He really wanted to skate against Viktor again and to possibly hold Viktor in his embrace with full consent. Yuri knew that Yalenchka wanted to meet Viktor as well.

But, as much as he really wanted all of this, he wasn't ready.

He wasn't prepared for the challenge that was cast his way over live television and, when it was announced, he was frozen on the floor in shock, locking his son between his arms. He didn't even blink, unable to take his eyes off of the screen as Viktor's challenge rolled across the bottom of the screen. Yalenchka had to break him from his reverie, stating that Yuri was holding him a littke too tight. He had apologized quickly, releasing his son and allowing the boy to move to sit next to him.

Yalenchka didn't know very much english, only picking up a few words here and there from travelers and people who stayed at the hot springs. Even though he knew very little, Yalenchka seemed to know ever single word that came from his father's mouth and got really excited.

"You're gonna skate with papa again?!" the little boy asked in glee, grabbing onto the sleeve of Yuri's shirt. "That's so cool!"

Yuri hadn't known how to reply.

Yuri knew, though, that if the reporters had been truly giving him his space ever since the release of the video of him skating Viktor's routine, then they won't leave him alone now. That public challenge will no doubt bring at least a handful of reporters begging for his thoughts on the matter.

Shaking his head, he turned in his bed again and dug his face into his pillow, sighing and growling into it. His feet and legs rubbed togther under the blanket, making the cold that he was feeling turn into warmth. He scrunched his toes tigether, popping a few of them and releasing any tension in his ankles by twisting his feet back and forth. He sighed again and focused on another point in his scattered brain.

Even if he were to see Viktor again in person, what would he tell him?

Obviously it would be no time after their meeting, or during their meeting, that Viktor would see Yalenchka for the first time. He could already picture Yalenchka's reaction, and he knew that what the boy would do would make things awkward between him and Viktor; that's if they weren't already awkward.

Telling Viktor the fact that he has a son would probably throw him off more than knowing that he had sexual intercourse with Yuri. Remembering that night and the events afterwards made Yuri feel a twist in his gut and his face scrunch up into the pillow.

.:":.

FLASHBACK

When they reached Yuri's room, Yuri turned to say good night to Viktor when he was brushed past by the Russain. He watched in shock as Viktor grabbed his arm and dragged him one room over and inside of it. When the door was closed behind them, Yuri found himself inside of Viktor's hotel room for their stay there and he was unsure of the reason he was brought inside.

"Um... Viktor? I really have to be going to sleep in my room or I won't be prepared for the competition tomorrow."

"Ah, relax!" Viktor replied nonchalantly and motioned for Yuri to follow him. "I just wanted to have a little fun before we retire for the night! You wouldn't mind that, would you?" Viktor looked back at Yuri with wide, seemingly innocent eyes. Yuri hesitated before he began to follow the Russian to the bedroom.

"I-I guess, but I can't be up too much later," Yuri whispered in reply.

Viktor smiled brightly, his flushed face getting a tad bit darker. He reached out and Yuri yelped in surprise when Viktor grabbed his arm and yanked him into his bedroom. He stumbled slightly and heard the door close behind him. Viktor let him go and he stumbled over to the bed, flopping into it face first and spreading his body all over it.

Yuri stood where he was awkwardly, not knowing what he should do. Viktor was drunk, obviously, and the older man was struggling to sit up right, his arms shaking and he pushed himself up on the comforter.

The Japanese skater couldn't believe that Viktor could stand to do this every night before a competition.

"Yuri!" Viktor called, flopping onto his back and looking at the dark haired male with a goofy smile."Come and sit! I won't bite yet!"

'Yet?!' Yuri thought, his eyes widening at the prospect as he took hesitant steps forward. His heart pounded loudly and painfully in his chest as he got closer to Viktor. His breath picked up as he stared into the electric blue eyes staring at him.

They were filled with a frightening hunger that caused Yuri to shiver and stop his pursuit at the edge of the bed. He couldn't stay there and he shouldn't have allowed himself to be swayed into coming into Viktor's room.

This isn't how he had hoped he would talk to his idol.

And with his luck, Viktor wouldn't even remember their meeting at all.

"Viktor, I think I should get going," Yuri finally voiced, taking a half step away from the bed and casting his eyes away from Viktor. "We both have a competition that we need to get to tomorrow and rest is one of the most important things. If we don't get enough, we could really harm ourselves."

"Not so fast little piggy!" Viktor called out in a light voice, slurring as he stretched and grabbed Yuri's hand.

Yuri called out in surprise when Viktor forced him down onto the bed with him. His glasses fell crooked on his face and Viktor chuckled before taking them off of Yuri's face. He tossed them to the side, and they landed on the floor somewhere far from the bed. Yuri felt Viktor run his fingers through his hair and couldn't help the content feeling passing through his body at the touch. His hair was swept back away from his face, revealing his eyes.

Yuri watched, frozen as Viktor pulled his head back a little by his hair and stared at him with fierce eyes.

"I like you without your glasses too!" Viktor announced in an excited whisper, his free hand trailing up Yuri's shirt. "So adorable!"

Yuri yelped as the warmth of Viktor's fingers seeped into his skin. He used his own hands and tried to push Viktor's away, his eyes widening in fear.

"No, Viktor, stop!" Yuri protested, his heart pounding and body shaking. "You're drunk! You don't know what you're doing! Stop!"

"But I do know what I'm doing," Viktor whispered and removed his other hand from Yuri's hair and turning to the button of Yuri's jeans, working to unfasten it. "You."

Yuri gasped and moved his hands down to his own jeans, trying to push Viktor's hand away. In doing this, he freed the Russian's other hand and allowed it to roam farther up his shirt. Viktor's fingers caressed his skin and he bit his lip as goosebumps appeared along his body.

"Viktor, stop it! I don't want-!"

Yuri was promptly silenced midsentance as Viktor pressed his lips atop his. At first, Yuri was to shocked to do anything, but he eventually squeezed his eyes shut and began to kick his legs out. He pressed his palms against Viktor's chest, pushing as hard as his ever weakening body would allow him to.

When he was finally able to push Viktor off of him, he found that Viktor was able to pull his shirt completely off of him at the same time. The cold air of the room caused even more goosebumps to appear on his skin and he gasped in surprise. Viktor descended upon his lips again, promply throwing his tongue into Yuri's mouth and begining to remove Yuri's pants once more.

Yuri tried to protest in any way possible, puahing Viktor as hard as hs could and kicking his legs in hopes to use them to get Viktor off of him. His attempts, though were futile, and his kicking legs only helped to aid Viktor in removing both his oants and his underwear.

Yuri's whole body was burning against the cool air of the room and his eyes widened. He froze any movement afraid of Viktor touching him at all. When he froze, Viktor removed his mouth from Yuri's and took his shirt off, tossing it to the side. He pulled his bottoms off quickly after and descended upon Yuri once more, kissing near Yuri's ear and bringing their bodies in even closer proximity.

"Yuri~." Viktor whispered seductively into the younger males ear, their naked bodies rubbing against each other as he had Yuri trapped beneath him. "Don't hold back on me! I'd love to be able to hear your voice~."

Viktor's soft hair brushed against Yuri's face as the man moved his head and began to lick Yuri's neck, leaving small, subtle kisses every once in a while.

It was all Yuri could do not to let out a moan of pleasure. He was biting his lip so hard that he had drawn blood and his grip on the sheets had tightened ever further as Viktor's fingers began to trail lightly down his arms and sides. Shivers trailed up and down his body at the contact and he found that strangled sounds began to erupt in his throat. It was already bad enough that his body was responding to Viktor's touch, and it was bad that his heart seemed to long for the man in some way, but his mind seemed to want to refuse and fight the urges.

"Stop!" Yuri choked out, his voice struggling to break through any sound that tried to escape him

He didn't want Viktor to continue, but he wouldn't have been able to pull away had he tried. The man was much bigger and stronger than he was, even drunk, so he was trapped beneath a highly aroused Viktor Nikiforov with no way to escape.

"Mmm, you're almost there Yuri~!" Viktor spoke in his ear again, staring at the man beneath him with piercing, lust filled bright blue eyes. "Just open your mouth and let me her those beautiful sounds in their fullest!"

Viktor moved to the soft, tender skin connecting Yuri's neck to his shoulder and collarbone, biting down on it and sucking softly.

This time, even Yuri biting his own lip couldn't stop any sound that escaped him. He cried out, his mouth opened wide as waves of pleasure coursed through his body.

"Yuri!" Viktor stated happily, panting harshly and smiling brightly down at the boy. "Your voice sounds like angels singing in my ears! I'd love it if I would be able to hear that music more often~!"

"Viktor, stop, please!" Yuri begged in a whisper, panting and trying to hold back any more moans that could escape his lips. His plead fell upon deaf ears and Viktor inched his hand down to Yuri's aroused member, and farther still, eubbing circles around his hole.

Yuri gasped in surprise as Viktor began to prepare him, his finger painfully trying to get into him without the aide of spit or lubricant. He choked on his own voice from the pain and hardly registered when Viktor's lips descended upon his.

Once the preparations ended,Viktor began to push himself inside without giving Yuri any warning.

At first, all Yuri could recognize was a feeling of pain. The tears forming at the corners of his vision finally rolled down his face, his innocence lost. The pain didn't seem to go away and he sobbed, his heart shattering into a million pieces and harming him further. When he felt something that was pleasurable and not pain, he sobbed louder and moved slighlty, trying to escape once more.

With his movement, Viktor soon began to thrust in and out of Yuri. Their bodies began to connect, electing aroused moans from Viktor and painful grunts from Yuri.

"Viktor," Yuri sobbed, trying to steady the man's body with his weak arms. "Viktor stop, it hurts!"

"Shh, moya lyubov," Viktor whispered, kissing Yuri's jawline gently. "If I were to stop now, it would hurt you even more trying to leave your body. The pain will go away soon."

Yuri sobbed, digging his fingernails into Viktor's arms and begging for the pain to end. He silently called for Viktor to come to rationality and stop this, but it prayers went unanswered. He didn't want this.

When his body began to respond to the sudden feeling of pleasure that Viktor was giving him, he cried out. Viktor seemed to take it as a signal to go faster and harder, grunting and moaning all the while. Yuri, on the other hand, had meant it as a completely different signal. It was acey for help feom this pain, from every bit of inconsideration that Viktor had shown him since their arrival at the older man's hotel room.

He wanted to leave, he wanted out, he didn't want this forceful side of Viktor. He preferred the man that had offered him food just minutes before, allowing him to sit in the same booth as him with a happy, cheerful peraonality. He didn't enjoy the Viktor now. He wanted something different.

He wanted out.

Yuri, because of his inexperiece, was the first to relase after such intense stimulation. He cried as Viktor rode him through his orgasm, more tears exploding from his eyes. Once he was donw, he began to feel weak and tired, his mind becoming clouded as Viktor finished with himself. He cried out again as Viktor filled him with his seed, the warmth exploding inside of his body.

Their panting breaths wefe exchanged between them and Yuri stared at Viktor with a hearbroken gaze. The older man stayed inside of him for a few moments longer before smiling warmly and easing his way out of Yuri. Yuri grunted in discomfort and Viktor layed down beside him, cuddling closer to Yuri's arm.

"Good night, moya lyubov," Viktor whispered before promptly falling asleep.

Yuri removed his arm from Viktor grip and stumbled from the bed. The japanese skater scrambled to pull on his clothes, rushing to put his jacket over his form and zip it up. His face was beet red and he fumbled with his shoes, not even trying to tie the laces. He grabbed his glasses, which lay haphazardly on the ground beside Victor's bed and placed them over his eyes.

He made a move towards the door, stopping momentarily to look back at Viktor. The Russian skater was sound asleep, the white bedsheets wrapped tightly around his naked body and an equally white pillow cuddled in his grasp.

'How could he possibly sleep after what he just did to me?' Yuri asked himself, tears threatening to spill from the corners of his eyes and he turned, ripping the door open and racing through the room and out into the hallway of the hotel.

FLASHBACK END

Thinking back to that night with the fact that he might end up seeing Viktor again sometime soon, he didn't feel as if it was very special to him anymore. He felt like he hadn't enjoyed it as much as he remembered he had and Viktor was a completely different person.

Now that Yuri thought about it, the only good that came from that night was Yalenchka.

Was that the reason why he felt like throwing up at that moment? Why he swore that his stomach was fliping and turning in the worst, most uncomfortabke ways?

If it was, why did he still love Viktor, after all he had done to him?


	12. Rushing Tides

"Mama, can we go to the beach?" Yalenchka asked with big puppy eyes, clasping his hands in front of him and standing next to Yuri. Yuri turned from the stove slightly to look at his son before sighing, tossing his oven mit to the side after pulling the American style biscuits from the oven. He stirred the gravy on the stove before shaking his head and making his way to the cupboard.

"Not today, YinYin," he replied, pulling a few plates down and setting them on the counter next to the biscuits and gravy. Yalenchka whined as he put a biscuit on each plate, tearing it in half and reaching for a ladle.

"But why?" Yalenchka asked, hanging on Yuri's apron and pouting.

"Because it's getting late and I need you to settle down after the excitement of your papa's skate today," Yuri replied, spooning the gravy onto each plate as Yalenchka whined loudly and flopped to the floor.

"But I wanna go to the beach!" he cried, his face scrunching as tears pinpricked his eyes. Yuri glanced down at his son, trying tk stop himself from smiling as the familiar act that his son was expending. In the end, he ended up chuckling and bringing each plate to the table, finally catching the moment to call the boy out.

"YinYin," Yuri drawled out, slowly removing his apron and turning to his son, whom had tears running down his cheeks now. The boy's hands were hiding behind his back and he sniffed, a few drops of water falling from his nose. "When did you become such a mischievously smart boy?"

"Mama?" Yalenchka asked, confused by his mother's words as his arms tensed behind him.

Yuri just chuckled, picking his son from the ground and placing him on his hip. He kissed Yalenchka's forehead, snaking one of his hands behind his son's back and quickly grabbing small, glass pipette from him and holding it up for him to see. Inside of the pipette, there was still water, but not very much. Yuri squeezed the little bulb at the end and the water began to tread up the tube towards the opening.

Yalenchka looked away from the pipette in shame, his cheeks burning red. His hand reached up to his mouth a d he began to finger at his teeth, looking everywhere but at his mother and the pipette. His foot shook in the air a it dangled at Yuri's side and his free hand gripped tightly onto Yuri's shirt.

From the boy's actions, Yuri was able to determine that his son did, indeed, understand that he did wrong and that he knew beforehand that he wasn't supposed to try and trick his mother, yet he did it anyway. Yuri sighed in slight disappointment, pursing his lips. He knew Yalenchka knew better.

"Yalenchka Nikiforov Katsuki," Yuri began scolding, even including his son's middle name so as to add emphasis. Yalenchka flinched before reluctantly looking into the disapproving eyes of his mother.

"Yes mama?" Yalenchka whispered, slowly and shakily rubbing the water dripping from his nose and down his cheeks dry with his shirt.

"You know what you did wrong, yes?" Yuri asked, nodding towards the pipette. Yalenchka hesitantly nodded his head, casting his eyes away and biting at his nails. Yuri set the pipette down on the table and sighed. "What did you do?"

"Try to manpulate mama," Yalenchka replied softly, fumbling while trying to say 'manipulate.'

"By doing what?" Yuri asked, causing Yalenchka to bury his face his Yuri's shoulder.

"By trying to make it look like I was crying so that way you would take me to the beach," Yalenchka replied even softer, actual tears pricking the corners of his eyes as the guilt caught up to him.

"Why did you think it was okay to try and manipulate me?" Yuri whispered, in a softer tone, trying to show Yalenchka that it still wasn't right what he did, but that he was still loved at the same time.

"Because I thought mama was too dumb to realize what I was trying to do and that you wouldn't catch on," Yalenchka replied, gripping onto Yuri's shoulder so tightly that his little knuckles turned white. "And I really wanted to go to the beach."

Yuri just blinked, dumbfounded at his son's response. He was silent for a few seconds as his son's tears- his real tears- began to soak the shoulder of his shirt. Eventually, laughter began to bubble up in his chest and his shoulders shook. His face broke out in a grin and his free hand was brought up to his mouth, trying to hide the laughter. Spurts of giggles did escape him, causing Yalenchka to look up and sniff at him in confusion.

Setting his son down at the table, Yuri walked over to and leaned against the counter, laughing a little bit more before trying his best to calm down. When he looked over to his son after he calmed down slightly, he noticed his son was pink in the face and was looking down at his hands sheepishly. With one last chuckle, Yuri walked over to Yalenchka and set a hand on his head, ruffling his son's black hair.

"I love you, YinYin," he told his son, bending down and kissing the top of the boy's head before scooting one of the plates towards him. "But that doesn't mean I can just let you off. So, because of this, I won't take you to go skating for the rest of the week."

Yalenchka looked up in disbelief of his mother's decision, his eyes widening. He was about to retort back about how unfair that seemed and that he couldn't do that when Yuri gave him a look, raising his eyebrows as if daring the boy to say something. Yalenchka quieted his pursuit and looked down at the table.

"Yalenchka, please look at me so that way I know you're listening," Yuri requested in a soft tone, and allowing for the boy to respond quickly to the request. "Now, if you can listen and be good for two whole days without giving me problems, then I will bring you to the rink earlier than that. How does that sound? Will you do it?"

Yalenchka's eyes brightened at the prospect and he nodded eagerly. Yuri smiled lovingly at his son, ruffling the boy's hair. Yalenchka was a really good kid and rarely gave much of a problem, so he knew that his son would push through this challenge with little complication.

He was about to go and call the rest of his family for dinner (which, now that he thought about it, was more like an American breakfast than dinner) when his phone rang. He noticed it was Phichit and he happily answered it, putting it up to his ear.

"Phichit! What have you been up to? How was watching the skate in person?" Yuri greeted happily.

On the other end, there was silence. Suddenly worried, Yuri called Phichit's name and asked him if everything was alright.

"Yuri..."

...

Phichit was absolutely amazed by the performances of all of the skaters that had been on the ice this year. Each year there was normally at least one or two of the competitors that let nerves get to them and they would flub more than just one or two jumps. This year, though, the competition only flubbed no more than two and all the scores were pretty close in ranking.

Except, of course, Viktor's, whom had a score ten points above Yuri Plisetsky, the silver medalist of this year's Grand Prix. Phichit even went so far as to scream as loud as he possibly could when the final standings came out and announced the top three skaters. He was cheering for each and every single competitor, but he knew that most others that were screaming were just happy that Viktor got first, Yuri got second, and Cao Bin, the first Chinese skater to make the podium in years, had made the podium.

The Thai skater was on his way though the lobby of the rink, talking animatedly with Celestino and pulling his coach to look at all of the plaques that were mounted on the walls, showing the standings of each skater that competed in the Grand Prix for the last fifty years. As he was gazing at the plaque from six years ago with a sad gaze, his lips pursed, he heard the Russian voice of Viktor off to his right. He looked and saw that he was talking with his coach and rink mates and decided to go and congratulate him.

"I'll be right back!" Phichit announced to his coach, ignoring the questions of where he was going to be that were thrown at him by his Celestino in favor of just making his way over to Viktor.

As he got closer, he noticed that his coach looked absolutely angry and mortified at the same time, beginning to yell at Viktor and asking just how stupid he could be. His rink mates, Phichit noticed, were looking on in sympathy and sadness. All except for Yuri, whom looked angry and relieved, saying that it was about time that Viktor left. Intrigued and worried at the same time, Phichit moved closer so as to hear the conversation.

'Viktor was leaving?' he asked himself, furrowing his eyebrows. 'To where?'

Once he was close enough, he stopped his movements and began to listen to the enraged cries of Yakov Feltsman and the calm replied of his student.

"-such a fool!" Yakov was yelling, his entire face red from anger as he got all up in Viktor's face and digging his finger painfully into Viktor's chest. "I won't allow it! You have no reason to just go and leave for a vacation in Japan! What do you even plan to do once you get there? We can't let you waste any time because next season isn't that far away and you need to prepare! Going to coach an indecisive man who hasn't been on radar for years is such a foolish act!"

Phichit's eyes widened at the mention of Viktor going to Japan for a vacation. What on earth was he planning to do there in Japan, anyway? Yakov was right about the next season being not to far away, so even if he did go to Japan, what rink did he plan to use? He didn't plan to use Ice Castle for his rink, did he?

Wait, did that mean that Viktor was going to Japan in order to see Yuri?

In order to coach Yuri?

In a panicked frenzy, Phichit ran up to Viktor and grabbed the taller man by the arm and dragging him away as quickly as possible. He dragged Viktor all the way outside of the building and into a nearby alleyway where he knew that he wouldn't be heard before turning to the static Russian.

"You can't go to Japan!"

Phichit's mind was racing at a million miles per hour, trying to discern what it was that he was trying to prevent. He was internally panicking, something that he didn't do very often. It was up to him to keep Viktor from heading off to Japan. Yuri wasn't ready for the sudden surprise of Viktor showing up at his home in hopes to coach him. Plus, Viktor would be even more surprised than Yuri would be. He hadn't talked to Yuri since the night he met up with Viktor and the video was released, but he knew that Yuri didn't want Viktor to find out yet.

And definitely not like this.

Viktor, he could see, was surprised and hurt by this exclamation and looked at Phichit incredulously. "What do you mean that I can't go to Japan?" Viktor asked.

"You just can't!" Phichit called our desperately, jumping forwards and grabbing onto Viktor's red jumpsuit tightly in his fists. "You can't go just yet!"

"But you said that if something amazingly impossible happened then I would be able to show up and see Yuri again and go to coach him," Viktor replied, forcing Phichit to pale slightly at the fact that he did indeed say that to Viktor. He began to sweat where he stood, not knowing what to do.

He still hasn't told Yuri that Viktor knew he was back in Hasetsu, and he was, for the first time, unable to find a solution to the problem at hand. Gritting his teeth, he spoke again.

"I'll give up all of my social media for a whole month if you just don't go to Japan!" Phichit threw out in desperation, shaking Viktor. "I'm willing to give up a major part of my life to keep you from going to Japan and seeing the two of them! Just don't go!"

The moment that those words passed through Phichit's lips and Viktor's face morphed into one of confusion, the Thai skater paled. He slowly let go of Viktor's jumpsuit and backed away, leaning against the wall of the alley, petrified with what he had done.

'I've just made things so much worse,' Phichit thought to himself. He gulped as Viktor took a step closer to him, the look the older man giving showing that he wouldn't be allowed to leave until he told him everything. Looking down in shame, Phichit silently apologized to his best friend for what he was about to do.

He was going to tell Viktor, and then maybe the man would leave Yuri alone until Yuri himself was ready to face Viktor.

'Please forgive me, Yuri.'

"'Both of them?' What do you mean by that Phichit?" Viktor asked, a sign of desperation in his voice as his face morphed into that of someone pleading for answers.

"It's your fault, you know," Phichit mumbled, sinking down to the ground and pulling his legs up to his chest, sending a half glare to the Russian male. Viktor furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"My fault?" Viktor questioned, pointing to himself.

"Yes, it's your fault that there is a 'both of them,'" Phichit replied, sighing. "But, as much as I hate what you did, I can't help but love the outcome. Don't hate the person, hate the sin," Phichit spoke, leaning his head against the brick wall behind him.

"Phichit," Viktor started, sitting across from his fellow skater and sighing. "I don't understand. You're not making any sense."

Phichit let his head fall forward and he gave Viktor a pointed look before sighing again.

"You met Yuri before the Sochi Grand Prix started," Phichit began explaining, causing VIktor to furrow his eyebrows. At his confusion, Phichit continued, "and you were very drunk, so you probably don't even remember what happened that night."

Viktor nodded, confirming the fact that he didn't remember meeting Yuri before the actual competition.

"Well, Yuri said that it was a pretty nice thing you did, inviting him to your table and allowing him to eat some food. He was a little nervous, but what would you expect from him, being within three feet of his idol." Phichit chuckled, remembering just how red his friend had been when he told him over skype before continuing. "And you, Viktor Nikiforov, were a flirt that night."

"I was flirting with Yuri?" VIktor asked, his eyes widening before a whine tore through his lips. "Why can't I remember that?"

"You were drunk," Phichit pointed out yet again. "So drunk, in fact, that if Yuri hadn't been there to walk you back to your hotel room, we would be short one less Russian figure skater." Viktor gasped.

"I almost died?!"

"Yes, you were almost hit by a car."

"Well, I'm glad that Yuri was there to save me then!" Viktor replied, smiling and dropping his arm over his knees.

"On with the story," Phichit continued, marveling at the fact that Viktor seemed spellbound by the knowledge of knowing that Yuri saved his life. "Well, when he finally got to his room, you dragged him to your room. He thought that you had just wanted to talk to him for a little while longer before retiring for the night. What you did though... it will take me a long time to forget that sin. I'm surprised that Yuri isn't as upset as I am about it."

A look of understanding began to cross over Viktor's features and he looked mortified. His hand was brought up to his mouth and he was looking with eyes that practically pleaded, asking Phichit that what he did wasn't what he thought it was. When he was given a look that said he got his thoughts in the right direction, Viktor nearly broke.

"I forced myself on him, didn't I?" Viktor's hands reached into his hair and he began to tug on it's strands. He berated himself for his actions, cursing his free nature that came out when he drank. Why had it been when he was drunk when he first met Yuri? If he was sober, then things would have turned out differently. He wouldn't have hurt the Japanese skater and made him weak for the competition.

Viktor breath hitched and he looked up at Phichit. "Yuri didn't compete the way he could at the Grand Prix because I made him weak." At Phiciht's nod, Viktor growled at himself. "His knees were weakened because of intercourse... no wonder he could hardly land any of his jumps. He wasn't able to use his knees as support. I'm such an idiot."

Phichit couldn't help but agree, nodding his head. "If that hadn't happened, there was a high possibility that Yuri would have made the podium."

"And I ruined his chances," Viktor whispered dejectedly, starting to tear up. All this time he had thought that Yuri was just wanting some time to be himself, but he was off of the radar because of what he did to him. He didn't want to face Viktor, and he wanted to stall for as long as possible.

But, something still didn't quite make sense. Viktor looked back up at Phichit as the tears still bubbled in his eyes.

"I still don't understand what you meant by both of them," Viktor whispered, causing Phichit to tense slightly. "Did I do something to someone else as well?"

"No," Phichit replied honestly. "No, you only did that to Yuri. But, Viktor, you... uh... well you see... Yuri has this... thing that allows for him to have... uh... children." Phichit felt awkward and not like himself. He didn't like how unsure he felt with how to explain this next part and all of his words and actions felt foreign to him.

"Children?" Viktor asked, still not quite understanding the implication. Phichit, feeling a little awkward and self consious, began to stutter slightly in reply. As he tried to find the words to say, Viktor looked back on everything that Phichit had said.

Suddenly, his tears finally began to fall down his cheeks and he brought his hands to his mouth covering it with his hands. He couldn't quite believe it, but it was the only explination.

"I... have a child?"

...

"Phichit?" Yuri asked once again, prompting for his best friend to speak in hopes to get his friend to speak, a pang of worry stabbing at his heart.

"Yuri... I'm so sorry... I had to tell him..."

Yuri's phone promptly clattered to the floor.


	13. It Can't Be Can it?

Yuri couldn't move from where he stood, too shocked to do much. He knew exactly what Phichit had meant when he said that he had to tell him. He had told Viktor, without his consent. Or, maybe, he had told Viktor because he was put under pressure? Yuri didn't know, but the thought chilled him to his core and caused his body to freeze. His phone still lay on the kitchen floor and the sound of his friend crying for him could be made out. The kitchen was engulfed in a sudden silence, Yalenchka staring worriedly at his mother.

It was then that Hiroko walked into the room, a bright smile on her face as she smelt the air. She was about to ask Yuri what he had cooked for the family, for she always enjoyed the way her son cooked, when she noticed the situation she walked in to. Yuri stood stock still in the doorway of the kitchen, looking as if he were about to leave. His face held a mortified expression and he was looking down at the ground where his phone lay, Phichit's face beaming up at her and letting her know that he had just been talking to the Thai skater.

When she looked over at Yalenchka, the boy was looking at her with an expression that pleaded for her to do something. He was scared, and he wanted her to do something.

"Yuri dear, are you alright?" Hiroko asked, walking to him and placing her hands on his shoulders, shaking him slightly to break him out of his reverie. His eyes slowly found there way on her face and she flinched at just how scared Yuri looked, his eyes wide and his pupils so small she almost couldn't see them.

"Mama," he began, calling her a name that he hadn't called her since he was young, allowing Hiroko to know that something was definitely wrong.

Tears welled in his eyes and he choked back a sob, causing his mother to wrap her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her too, sobbing lightly and speaking.

"He told him, mama," Yuri stated, hugging her tighter. "He said that he had to tell him and I didn't know how to respond."

Yuri knew that his mother caught on to the meaning behind what he had said, for her grip around him tightened as well. When she pulled back, she looked into his eyes and nodded to him, picking up his phone. He took it from her hands and looked down at it, knowing that Phichit was still waiting for him to speak again since he hadn't yet hung up. Looking at his son, he saw that he was worried about him and he smiled in reassurance. Yalenchka visibly relaxed at the gesture and Yuri looked back at his mother, nodding towards his son.

"Of course, dear," she agreed. "You go and talk to Phichit and work some things out."

He nodded, walking out of the kitchen and making his way towards his own room. Once there, he shut his door. Hesitantly, he put his phone back to his ear and took a deep breath.

"Phichit," he started, looking up at the posters in his room, trying to gain some sort of comfort in the fact that he had pictures of Viktor on his walls. "I want you to tell me everything that happened. From the beginning."

...

"I... have a child?"

Phichit nodded his head and looked intently at Viktor's face to gauge his reaction. The man looked extremely shocked, so shocked that he looked as if he almost didn't believe him. The Thai skater bit his bottom lip, waiting silently for another sign of Viktor's reaction. Viktor's face slowly began to morph into a glare as he glared at Phichit. Shocked, Phichit flinched and widened his eyes, not expecting this reaction.

"Are you trying to make me feel jealous, Phichit?" Viktor asked, his gaze casting downwards as he cried even more.

Phichit shook his head, crawling a little closer to Viktor in panic. "No, I-"

"You know that I'm in love with him," Viktor stated, cutting him off, looking back at Phichit as his tears fell harder. "So you decided to try and make me feel as guilty as possibly by making something up, like saying that Yuri had a child with me and I just left him to fend for himself!"

Phichit was internally freaking out. He did have an inkling of an idea that Viktor did, indeed, have a crush on his best friend, but he never knew that Viktor was crushing on Yuri so hard that he actually loved him. He hadn't made this stuff up, but Viktor thought he did. He would never make up something this important.

And Viktor didn't seem to be able to see that.

"Viktor, I'm not-"

"Phichit, stop lying to me!" Viktor cried, his sobbing getting louder and echoing off the walls of the alley. "Stop making me feel so horrible about myself! If you wanted to hurt my heart for hurting Yuri the way I did, I would have much rather you just told me that Yuri has a girlfriend! Phichit, you are taking this way too far!"

"I'm not trying to hurt you!" Phichit replied, gripping Viktor's shoulders and shaking the older man's shoulders. "I'm telling you the complete truth!"

"Shut up!" Viktor shouted in an un-Viktor like way, ripping Phichit's hands from his shoulder and clenching his eyes shut. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

Phichit stayed silent, waiting for Viktor to say something. He didn't want to anger the Russian anymore, knowing that if he did, he could possibly end up with a bruise somewhere on his body. He watched as Viktor cried to himself, the man hiding his face in his hands so Phichit couldn't see him.

Viktor was in so much pain internally, and pressing himself against the brick wall behind him didn't help him one bit. His heart hurt so much, it was to the point that it felt as if his chest was caving in on itself. Guilt washed over him, a waterfall with a never ending supply of tears filling it from the clouds above. He didn't understand the point behind what Phichit was doing to him: he just knew that the boy wanted to make him feel guilt for something.

He succeeded for whatever reason he wanted Viktor to feel this way.

He loved Yuri, and it was because he loved Yuri that he felt this way. The information that he had hurt Yuri as he had was already a lot to take in. Put in the fact that Phichit also made up the fact Yuri could somehow get pregnant and have children and that Yuri had his child, it hurt him even more. It was a lie, and Viktor was pretty certain of it, but it still made him feel so much more guilty. So guilty, in fact, that he did feel as if he were a failure as a father, even though he didn't have a child of his own to take care of.

But even so...

It took him a while before he finally calmed down, his body heavy and filled with lead. His breath came shakily to and from his lungs, his body quivering along with it. When he felt that he was calm enough, he looked at Phichit momentarily before standing and walking to the edge of the alley. He heard Phichit stand up from the ground, shuffling quickly to go after him. Stopping, he turned around to look at Phichit. The boy stopped and waited for Viktor to say something.

"Give me some time," Viktor rasped out, his voice croaking slightly from over use of crying. "I can believe what you say about me harming Yuri, but I just cant believe the fact that I have a child. Just... give me some time to think about everything. I'll talk to you again when I have my decision on the matter. I'm sorry, Phichit."

With that, he left the ally and made his way back to his coach and rink mates, who were still at the rink and waiting for him to return. The lobby of the rink was practically empty except for them, and it was pretty easy to spot them. He walked over to them, putting on as convincing of a smile as he could and hoping that it wasn't all that obvious that he was crying.

Yuri was the first person to notice him returning.

"Hey, old man, where were you?" Yuri demanded, walking over to him and kicking him in the gut, Viktor hunched over from the pain, a cough scratching his throat from the contact. "And have you been crying?! You look fucking disgusting right now!"

Viktor waved it off, standing back up straight before forcing a smile onto his face. "Everything's fine! Let's just head back to the hotel."

"Whatever," Yuri scowled, stomping away from the group. "Let's go! I'm fucking starving and the hotel has room service!"

...

"I'm so sorry, Yuri," Phichit cried, sniffling through the phone. "I was trying to keep one thing set and I just completely ruined everything else in the process! I don't even know if he still plans to go to Japan or not anymore. He hasn't texted me and he's kept out of the public eye for the last hour. Yuri, I'm so, so sorry."

Yuri was clenching his fist in his lap, biting his lip so hard he was surprised that he had yet to draw any blood. He knew something like this would end up happening. Because of his luck, he actually expected it to have happened sooner. But now that it has happened, he was freaking out on the inside. How was he supposed to deal with the situation now that it happened?

"You aren't mad at me, are you?" Phichit asked. "I understand if you are, but I don't want you to be."

Yuri sighed, ruffling his hair with his hand. "No, Phichit, I'm not mad at you," he replied, causing Phichit to sigh in relief.

"Then what are you if you aren't mad?" he asked.

"Panicked, frustrated?" Yuri replied, more like a question. "Indecisive? Phichit, I knew that something was bound to happen at some point. It isn't your fault, I'm just ill prepared."

"Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it," Phichit vowed, sounding almost desperate to help Yuri in any way he can to make up for his mistake. "I promise, I will!"

Yuri was quiet for a moment, thinking deeply to himself. He mumbled under his breath a few times, tapping his fingers against his thigh. His eyes traveled around his room as he though and he bit his lip. he clenched his toes and traced a circle on the ground with them.

'Should I do that?' Yuri thought to himself, groaning a little at his indecisiveness. 'If I do that, then I'll be admitting to Viktor that everything that was said was true. That might be easiest...'

"Phichit," Yuri began, shocking the Thai skater momentarily. "I'm going to send you some pictures and a text. I want you to show these to Viktor the next time you see him."

Phichit was silent on the other end of the phone for a few moments before he spoke again in a soft whisper. "Are you sure about this Yuri? Is this really how you want to reveal this to him?"

Yuri sighed, falling back on his bed and looking up at his ceiling. "I would much prefer to show him myself, but this way, I can't chicken out and not actually do it. You know me Phichit, and if I were to task myself to do it, it would never get done."

Phichit was silent yet again before he agreed.

"Alright, I'll do it. But don't expect me to back out on it, even if you beg for me to not do it," Phichit stated, laughing lightly in hopes to brighten the mood.

"I would never," Yuri replied, laughing as well before looking at his phone for the time. With a sigh, he placed his phone by his ear. "I have to go. I'm sure Yalenchka has finished eating and I have to put him in bed in about half an hour. I'll get those pictures to you as soon as I'm done with it."

"Okay! Tell YinYin I said hi and good night!" Phichit replied enthusiastically, any sign that he had been upset gone from his voice.

"Of course," Yuri replied with a smile. "He would love that. I'll get ahold of you later, Phichit."

"Bye Yuri!"

Yuri ended the call, sighing in relief and feeling as if a weight was being lifted off of his shoulders. His whole body felt lighter and he looked up at the ceiling, closing his eyes and enjoying a moment of content. The air around him seemed to disperse any pressure and he felt more alive than he had been in a long while. He was still weary of telling Viktor, but what else could he do? It was either now or never.

And, for Yalenchka's sake, Yuri would much rather prefer now.

After a few more moments to himself, Yuri hopped out of bed and left his room, making his way to the main room of the onsen. Just as he thought, he saw his son sitting in front of the onsen's T.V. watching a recap of the skating competition. The boy's bright blue eyes were captivated on the screen as they replayed his father's routine, the commenters commenting on how well he had done and pointing out things that might not have been as noticeable when he skated earlier.

Yuri smiled brightly at his son and walked over. He sat down next to Yalenchka and hugged the boy to his side. Yalenchka beamed up at him and promptly climbed into his lap, leaning up against his mother's chest and smiling.

"My luck finger worked!" Yalenchka exclaimed happily, holding up his left hand and showcasing his luck finger for his mother to see. "I gave papa some luck from my luck finger and he got first place!"

Yuri smiled down at him, ruffling the boys hair and not knowing exactly how to respond. He would normally encourage Yalenchka with his child like statements, but this time, Yuri wanted to ask a question. He wanted to know what his son thought on the matter of what he was planning on doing.

"YinYin, am I allowed to ask you an important question?" Yuri asked, turning his head and leaning down a fraction to look at his son in the eyes. The boy blinked in wonder for a moment before nodding his head eagerly.

"Of course, mama!" he eagerly replied, shifting to where he was facing his mother in his lap. "You can ask me anything!"

"Well," Yuri began, drawling out the beginning of his question a little bit, "how would you feel if you were able to pose with mama to send papa some pictures of us together?"

Yalenchka's eyes practically glowed that of a thousand suns.

...

Phichit waited anxiously for the text that would show the pictures that Yuri would send to him. They were proof that he wasn't lying, and that was all that Phichit could ever ask for. Plus, Yuri even said he would send a message with the pictures addressed to Viktor, which meant that there was even word from the man himself to back up what Viktor had so plainly denied. Viktor was going to see that he had a child, whether he liked it or not.

He was scrolling through Instagram when the pictures started to roll through, one by one. He was tempted to look at each and every single one that Yuri had sent, but he waited. He would look once he was sure that Yuri had finished sending them. He wanted to gush over them for a while once they were done and he knew for a fact that they would be saved to his phone.

But, under Yuri's instruction, he silently set up a barrier between those pictures and all of his social media. But, once this was out to the public, there would be no way that he would hold back in posting all things Yalenchka Nikiforov Katsuki.

His messaging notifications came to a momentary halt. Phichit, knowing that Yuri was preparing his text for Viktor to read, clicked on his notifications and began to scroll through the pictures that Yuri had sent.

All of them were so adorable, and Phichit couldn't help but squeal when he saw each one. Yalenchka was making all kinds of different faces in each picture and Phichit could tell that as he made his way to the more recently sent pictures that Yuri and Yalenchka had taken a few together. Some of them were with Yalenchka in his day clothes, and then the last few had Yalenchka in his dark blue night robe with dark green pajama pants and a white shirt underneath it. They were all so cute, and Phichit went to saving each and every one of them.

The most recent and probably most important picture that Yuri went him was the picture of Yalenchka's birth certificate. That was the absolute proof of Yalenchka's heritage and the final picture that would leave Viktor without any doubt that the happy little boy in all of the pictures from before as definitely his child.

Yuri's message bubble kept on appearing and appearing, showing Phichit just how indecisive his best friend was with the words that he wanted Viktor to read. He laughed slightly, covering his mouth and digging his body farther into the couch of the hotel room as he stared at the three dots bouncing up and down in anticipation. When he was quite positive that the message was about to be sent, he heard a knock on his hotel room door.

With a sigh, he stood groggily from the couch, upset that he had to move from his comfortable position, and went to answer the door. When he opened the door, he was met with a red eyed Viktor, his silver hair messy and his teeth gripping his lower lip. Viktor's eyes were downcast at first and he hesitantly moved his gaze up to Phichit's.

"Can I, uh, can I come in?" Viktor rasped, his throat sounding sore.

Phichit slowly nodded, allowing the Russian to pass by him and into his hotel room before closing the door.


	14. Mending the Hole in My Heart

Phichit showed Viktor to the couch, motioning towards it and indicating to the other man that he was welcome to sit. Viktor took up the offer, sitting on the far right of the couch and leaning heavily into the cushions. He sighed loudly, rubbing his face with his hands as Phichit plopped down on the couch as well. The Thai skater opened his messages with Yuri and waited on standby for what Viktor was going to say.

If Viktor was willing to listen, then it would be easier to show him the photos and the text that Yuri had sent him. If not, then Phichit was prepared to use any force necessary to make Viktor listen.

Phichit hoped, for Yuri's sake, that he wouldn't have to use any force to get Viktor to listen to him.

Viktor put his elbows on his knees looked straight ahead, his leg bouncing up and down as he thought of what he should say. He came to talk to Phichit about what he said to him earlier that day. Viktor didn't want to believe it, but it was almost as if something was forcing him to doubt his thoughts. If he did have a child, as Phichit had said that he did, then that would not only make him a terrible person for leaving Yuri the way he had, but a terrible father as well for not being there for his child. He shouldn't feel terrible in any way because his mind was telling him that it was impossible that he had a child.

But he did feel absolutely terrible, and his pain filled heart was never going to let the feeling go away. Not until he found out if he truly did have a child.

He turned to Phichit, the boy waiting silently next to him on the couch and leaning into the cushions, allowing them to engulf his small form. His phone was on and resting in his lap, and Viktor noticed that he had been texting someone before he had come in. He was surprised that the boy seemed to be completely ignoring the contact, as if talking on his phone wasn't the most important thing in the world.

Viktor had thought that Phichit may have been angry with him for not hearing him out earlier, but as he looked the boy in the eyes, he noticed that Phichit didn't even look remotely angry. Instead, he looked understanding and patient, and Viktor felt as if the boy knew exactly why he was here and was waiting for him to say something. With a sigh, Viktor cleared his throat and began to speak.

"I'm sorry, Phichit," Viktor started, casting his gaze away. "I lashed out at you in a way that was not right to you because I thought you were lying to me and I just didn't want to see reason to what you said." Viktor paused, looking up at Phichit and seeing if the boy had anything that he wanted to say. When the boy remained motionless, eyes glued on him, he continued.

"Hearing that I had harmed a fellow competitor and ruined his chances at the Grand Prix Final was already a big blow to my heart. But finding out that it was Yuri of all people? That was just so much that I couldn't handle it. After that, I couldn't have been able to see reason even if I wanted to. My emotions were just running in high. Phichit..." Viktor ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I feel like a terrible person. I feel as if my heart is about to drown from the guilt i feel and I just want to understand why I feel this way."

He looked over to Phichit, who was now seemingly ignoring him and was one his phone. The light from the screen reflected on his face, changing colors as if he were scrolling through instagram. His thumb kept on moving down, the image on his screen going up in response. Viktor sighed at this action, feeling as if it were a useless endeavor to come and try and get an understanding from Phichit. The boy was obviously still mad at him.

Looking away, Viktor stood from his seat and dusted the invisible dirt from his clothes. As he began to make his way to the door, Phichit grabbed the sleeve of his trench coat, tugging him back. Viktor looked back at him in question, only to see that Phichit was still scrolling on his phone, searching for something.

"Hang on just a second," Phichit ordered under his breath. With one last swipe of the thumb, Phichit gained a look of triumph before turning his gaze to Viktor. He tugged on Viktor's jacket once more and forced the elder man to sit.

"Phichit-"

"Here."

Viktor's eyes widened when Phichit held out his phone to him, prompting him to take it. Blinking in confusion, he glanced down at it before wearily looking back up at Phichit with a look that begged to know if he was serious. In response, Phichit jutted his hand forward a little, the phone touching Viktor's fingertips.

Hesitantly, Viktor grabbed the phone and leaned back into the couch. He kept his eyes on Phichit the whole time, unsure of whether or not the Thai man was truly giving him momentary possession of his phone. When Phichit noticed the cautious look that Viktor was giving him, he sighed.

"I was talking to Yuri before you came," Phichit explained. "I told him that I accidentally spilled the beans and he decided that now would be as good a time as any to finally tell you the truth. So, he sent me some pictures of him and his son and told me to show them to you when I saw you again."

Viktor looked down at the phone, his eyes widening as he scrolled through each picture that Yuri had sent to his best friend. The first picture was one that showed him holding his son right after birth. Yuri looked exhausted and extremely pale, the white of the gown not doing much to help with the complexion. His hair was sticking up in random directions and his glasses were set to the side. Just below the bundle that he cradled in his arms, he could see a patch of blood on Yuri's stomach, showing that the boy had had a c-section. In his arms was a beautiful baby, tufts of black hair sticking up thinly atop of the baby's head. The boy's eyes were closed and a baby blue blanket was wrapped around his body. Underneath the picture, there was a text that read 'The birth of my ray of light.' The picture was a breathtaking sight that had Viktor on the verge of tears, but that was only the beginning.

As Viktor scrolled down and stared intently at each and every picture that he came across, memorizing every detail of them, he couldn't stop the heavy flow of tears that pooled from his eyes. Most of them were selfies of both Yuri and his son, or they were pictures of just the boy himself. It showed the stages of how the child grew, commemorating the great and accomplished moments that flew through time.

'Baby's first word: Light!'

'Baby's first steps!'

'Finally potty trained!'

That picture was one where the young boy was smiling up at the camera with an accomplished look and pointing to the toilet. His bright blue eyes, so much like Viktor's own, were shining. Viktor smiled through every tear and picture that he saw, and the next one caused him to cover his mouth in surprise and happiness.

'First time watching papa on the ice!'

The young boy was staring admiringly at the screen in front of him. The angle of the camera showed that Yuri had taken the picture in secret. The young boy was so close to the screen that Viktor was sure that it must have been hurting his eyes, but he looked as if he didn't want to look away. The absolute love and admiration that shown in the boy's eyes had Viktor almost choking on his own joy.

Yuri actually told the boy who his father was, not keeping it a secret from their own son?

'After papa's performance, he wanted to skate too! First steps on ice!'

Yuri was holding onto the boy's arms and the boy was gripping tightly onto Yuri. His face was scrunched up in concentration and a small spark of fear radiating. He looked extremely determined to stay upright though.

The next picture cause Viktor to laugh. Yuri was laughing in the picture, bright and cheery as he reached down to help his son up from the ice. The boy was pouting as he reached for Yuri's outstretched hands. The picture was captioned:

'First Fall!'

'His first day of school!'

'Giving papa luck with his Luck finger!'

This picture was one that Viktor couldn't help but coo at. He hadn't noticed it before in any of the other pictures, but he now noticed that the little boy had an extra finger on his left hand. Viktor noticed that they were under a fort of some kind and there had been a television inside. The boy had his hand touching the screen, where Viktor was standing in his beginning position. Viktor noticed that this was only just the day before, if the costume he was wearing were anything to go by.

They had been watching him skate?

All of the pictures after that were taken all in the same day, which Viktor concluded was today if Yuri and his son wearing pajama's was anything to go by. They were selfies of all kinds: happy ones, normal ones, ones with cool poses, ones with silly poses, ones where they wore funny hats and feather scarves, one where yuri was posing and his son in bed, and the final one was just of the boy holding a sign that had both sloppy Japanese and Russian on it. The Japanese was at the top, and much smaller than the Russian that was in the dead center of the page.

'Love you papa!'

Viktor was thoroughly convinced now that the boy in the picture was his son. There couldn't have been any other explanation besides that, and even if he wanted to still argue the fact, he wouldn't have been able to conjure up any concrete evidence. The next picture would have quelled the rest of his doubt if he had any left anyway.

It was the boy's birth certificate.

 _Name: Yalenchka Nikiforov Katsuki_

 _Mother: Yuri Katsuki_

 _Father: Viktor Nikiforov_

 _DOB: December 23rd_

 _Time of Birth: 5:15 pm_

 _Doctor: Oliver Sizushima_

 _Blood Type: AB_

 _Status: Healthy_

Underneath the picture was a text sent by Yuri and addressed to Viktor.

 _'Viktor_

 _I know that you had a little bit of a breakdown when Phichit told you about all of this and I want to say that I'm not mad at you for reacting that way. it was a normal human response to a situation like this I will tell you that this is no joke. Yalenchka is your child and I want to say that I'm sorry for keeping him from you for the last five years. I didn't want you to stop skating until you wanted to and I felt that if I told you that you had a son, then you would have felt obligated to leave the ice. I didn't want that, so I kept it a secret. Don't worry, though, because I told Yalenchka all about you and I want you to know that he loves you very much and constantly asks me when he will be able to met you in person. He admires you and loves you just as much as I do, if not more. Now it's your turn to choose what you do. I told you what you absolutely needed to know, so what are you going to do with the information now that you have it?'_

There was a bunch of other information on the certificate as well that Viktor didn't quite understand, but this was just the thing that finally pushed him over the edge. His body shook with the force of his tears, a feeling of immense joy and guilt joining in on his feelings as the phone nearly slipped from his grasp. Their son-Yalenchka- had a Russian name.

Yuri gave him a Russian name.

And Yuri told him that his son loves him; told him that he loves him in the midst of it as well.

The phone fell from his grasp and he brought his hands to cover his face. Phichit, noting the fall of his phone, jumped forward and caught it before it hit the ground, letting out a sigh of relief when it was clenched tightly in his grasp. Viktor felt the boy wrap his arms around him in a comforting manner and he threw himself on the Thai boy, crying into Phichit's shoulder.

How could he have been so stupid?

"What-what am I s-supposed to d-do?" Viktor sobbed out in choked words, gripping tightly onto Phichit's shirt.

"What do you want to do?" Phichit asked, patting Viktor's back in a consoling way.

Viktor sat there, crying for a moment and thinking at the same time. He wanted to go and see them, to hold both Yuri and Yalenchka in his arms and smother them in all the love and apologies that he could possibly give. He wanted to go and join them in all of the fun, family things that they could do together; like going to the beach, or going to the park, skating at the ice rink, or even just having a dinner as a family, sitting around the same table while smiling and laughing at the stupidest things.

Viktor wanted nothing more than to be the father and lover that Yalenchka and Yuri had been missing for the last five years.

After a few minutes, Viktor had calmed down enough that his breathing was only shivering in tune with the wind outside. He had pulled away from Phichit and was looking down at his hands. Looking up at Phichit, who was awaiting patiently for his verdict, he drew a breath.

"I'm going to own up and take responsibility for what I did," Viktor stated before an important factor finally reached his mind. "But in order to do that, I'm going to have to tell the world my mistake, won't I?"

Phichit scooted forwards on the couch, furrowing his eyebrows as a look of knowing flashed across his face. "Are you sure about this, Viktor?" Viktor nodded.

"Ask Yuri if it's okay to reveal this at an interview. I'll call up the press and other sponsoring companies. They'll think that it's going to be just about my announcement for next season, but they'll definitely be in for the greatest surprise that Viktor Nikiforov could ever hand to his audience."

...

Yuri woke up to the sun shining through his window and he groaned, cursing himself for forgetting to close his curtains. He groggily pulled himself out of bed, the sheets catching onto his foot. With a cry, he fell forwards and tumbled to the ground.

 _'Is this how my day is going to go today?'_ he asked himself and sighed, unwinding the sheets from around his ankles before standing.

Almost instinctively, Yuri grabbed his phone and walked out of his room. He began to flip through his notifications before noticing that he had a missed call from Phichit and a text from him as well. Clicking on the message notification, Yuri's breath hitched.

 _'Viktor wants to own up to what he did and he wants to tell the world. Are you up for this Yuri? You don't have to do it if you don't want to.'_

With a shaky breath, Yuri's fingers tapped slowly on his keyboard before hesitantly replying to the text that Phichit had sent him.

 _'It's okay, Phichit. Let Viktor do this. I gave him a decision and this is what he chose to do, so we'll just have to pull through this as best we can, won't we?'_


	15. Fluctuations

Yuri smiled once he hid the final item in his room in the hot springs. He wrote down the name of the item, along with a small sketch of what it looked like on a piece of paper underneath all of the other items that he hid. Once he was done, he let out a breath he was holding, looking at the time. It was still pretty early and he finished hiding everything before Yalenchka was able to wake up and see where he hid everything. Counting the items on the list, he was satisfied with everything and silently recounted each hiding spot that used.

After worrying about how Viktor was going to execute his press conference, he decided that it shouldn't have put him at such unease. Viktor was going to make the right decision and everything was going to happen just as it was supposed to. Yuri trusted Viktor to do the right thing, and if this is what Viktor thinks must be done, then this is what's going to happen.

He met up with his mother and father, the both of them sneaking around the inn as well, hiding little treats with each item to make yalenchka a little more excited to find everything. He noticed that the plate of brownies was empty and the candy basket was practically empty as well, except for the few tootsie rolls or sukers that remained.

"Everything is in place!" Hiroko announced in an excited whisper, placing the empty brownie dish in the sink and beginning to wash it. "The whole inn smells like brownies now, and I wouldn't be surprised if the guests ask for some themselves. I'll get to making more for the guests, you should go wake up your son and get him started!"

"I would have him eat breakfast first," Yuri began, straightening put his bed shirt and trying to tame his still ruffled hair, "but I know the smell of brownies will only make him want those for breakfast. You have to make him a decent breakfast tomorrow since your spoiling him with this."

Hiroko laughed and handed the now clean dish to Toshio to dry and she pulled out the ingredients for her next batch of brownies. "It's okay to spoil the boy every once in a while with junk food in the morning! I did it for you when you were little. you made a pretty big mess with the ice-cream, if I remember correctly."

Yuri's face flushed at that thought and he quickly left the kitchen, leaving his laughing parents to continue with their cooking. He allowed his face to cool off before he entered his son's room.

The door slid open quite easily and without any sound. He was met with a child's room, toy's sprawled along the floor and threatening to kill the souls of his feet. The dresser had clothes hanging out of it, and posters were on the floor from the night before. Yalenchka was in his small bed, the sheets varying shades of blue with streaks of shining silver. His breathing was deep and his thumb was so close to his mouth that he was almost sucking on it. The unruly black mass that was his hair was spread on his pillow and flaking into his face. Yalenchka's body was folded into a fetal position and Yuri couldn't help but coo softly at the sight.

He loved how adorable the boy was, and he loved that he could call Yalenchka his.

He tiptoed over to the small boy and moved the blankets from atop him. Yalenchka only shifted to where his body was curled even more into himself. Yuri smiled, running his fingers through the tangles of his son's soft hair. The boy sighed at the touch and Yuri chuckled lowly, rubbing his hand over his son's arm, enticing a groan.

"It's time to get up, YinYin," Yuri whispered and planted a kiss on his son's forehead. Yalenchka groaned again and sluggishly began to move.

Yuri watched as Yalenchka groggily opened his eyes, struggling to keep them open. The little boy struggled to lift himself up from his laying position, the blanket falling from his shoulders to reveal his bright blue pajamas. Yalenchka's eyes, still mostly closed, looked up at his mother. Once in a sitting position, he lifted his arms to Yuri. With a smile, Yuri stood from the bed and picked the boy up. Yalenchka planted his head onto Yuri's shoulder and wrapped his arms around Yuri's neck. Yri supported him from his bottom and nuzzled his nose into the boy's hair.

On the trek to the kitchen, Yuri was met with the morning guests that were carrying coffee from the main room and heading to their own rooms. They wished him a good morning, some even cooing at how cute his son seemed in the mornings. Other's joked and asked when the brownies were going to be finished, to which he laughed and replied that his mother was currently making another batch for the guests.

At the word brownies, Yalenchka seemed to wake up even more and began to support himself on Yuri's body a little more. Yuri adjusted his grip on the boy, allowing his son to sit on his hip and holding him around his little waist to keep him stable. Chuckling, Yuri watched Yalenchka sniff the air, the boy practically waking fully once the full impact of the scent settled into his nose.

Once he reached the kitchen, the boy was practically bouncing from his grip, a wide smile on his face. Hiroko noticed them enter first and laughed herself when she noticed just how excited the boy seemed at the smell of the brownies that she made.

"Good morning, Oba-san!" Yalenchka called out excitedly, waving towards her. Yuri set him down and the boy promptly ran over to the woman and hugged her tight.

"Good morning, YinYin!" Hiroko greeted with a hug of her own. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmhmm!" Yalenchka replied with shining eyes. "I heard you made brownies! Where are they? Can I have some? Please?" Yalenchka made his lower lip protrude from his mouth in a pouting manner, giving Hiroko the baby doll eyes. Hiroko cooed and laughed, grabbing her cheeks to refrain from pinching her grandson's instead.

"You have to go and find them!" she replied honestly, pointing to Yuri. "Your mom can tell you what you need to do."

Yalenchka practically jumped onto his mother at the prospect, begging to know what he had to do. Yuri laughed after making sure that the grip his son had on his shirt wasn't choking him and pulled out the piece of paper.

"We're going to have a scavenger hunt!" Yuri exclaimed, Yalenchka shouting in glee. "This paper has all of the items that are hidden around the inn and with each item is a special treat. There are brownies and candy along with every item, all you have to do is find them and the treasure is yours!"

"So cool!" Yalenchka shouted in glee, grabbing the paper from Yuri's hands and looking at it. "Can we start now? Please?!" Yuri laughed.

"Of course! Come on, don't want those brownies to get cold, do we?"

"No way!"

The hunt began and Yuri hung back as much as his son would allow him to. The boy took to the list like a mouse to cheese, finding everything that he could as best he could. He looked at the list and would look for the little drawings next to each word, even asking Yuri what the words were so he could have them at mind for future reference. Once he had his mind set on an item, he would then let his nose lead him to the treasure. Yuri laughed when Yalenchka pouted because the item he was looking for didn't match the one in the spot with the brownie. The brownie itself, though, was able to quell the disappointment quite easily.

Once all of the items were found that had the brownie as the prize that went along with it, it was time for the next stage of the challenge. Yuri held each item that Yalenchka found in his arms, waiting until he regrouped with his son in the main room. He set them in a pile on one of the coffee tables and sat patiently while his son finished eating all of the brownies he found in the kitchen. It wasn't long until the boy came running out, crumbs of chocolate sticking to his lips and even his cheeks.

"What's next, mama?" he asked enthusiastically, jumping into Yuri's lap and throwing his arms around Yuri's neck.

"Now we have to find everything else on the list," Yuri informed, flipping the page over that his son had and showing the rest of the items. "These items don't have brownies with them, so it will be harder to find them. They do have candy with them, but you really have to try hard to find them. Are you up for it?"

"Yeah!" Yalenchka resolved, pumping his fist into the air. "The treasure shall be mine!"

"Then come on, my little pirate, and scavenge that treasure!" Yuri exclaimed, causing the boy to jump off of him and begin to run through the inn once again.

The hunt took longer this time, but Yalenchka never stopped searching until everything was found. yuri took the items into his hands and had Yalenchka put his candy into a bag to save for later, since he had already had a pretty large helping of unhealthy foods to eat. He did allow the boy a lollypop, which was sticking out of his mouth as he happily sucked on it.

Bringing the rest of the items to the main room and setting them with the pile on the table, he waved Yalenchka over. The boy excitedly sat down on the other side of the table and bounced excitedly on his legs.

"What are we doing now, mama?" Yalenchka questioned.

"Well, as long as you are careful and you let me help you," YUri began, giving the boy a look that said 'I am helping you no matter what', "I'm going to help you make a pair of skates that you';; be able to skate with when you're older!"

"Really?!" Yalenchka beamed, his face glowing like the sea. "That's so cool! This is so amazing, mama!"

Yuri laughed and moved to sit down right next to his son. The boy instinctively moved to sit in his lap and Yuri allowed him to, adjusting his position into that of something more comfortable.

"Okay, YinYin, I'm going to let you do whatever you want to the brackets for the blades. The stickers can be used and so can the paints, so you design them however you want to," Yuri told him, bringing forth the brackets that Yalenchka had been searching for that morning. "I'm going to put together the actual skates, but I need to know what color you want the skates to be."

"Black with dark blue glitter swirls!" Yalenchka jumped, smiling at his mother and pointing to the fabric that was on the table and then to the glitter that was there. "I want the blades to be golden as well! Just like papa's!" he exclaimed proudly, pointing to the pair of gold, unsharpened blades that sat next to a pair of silver ones as well as a pair of white ones.

Yuri's eyes softened at his son's request, ruffling the boy's hair and leaning to plant a kiss on the boy's head. "Anything for you."

...

Viktor shakily flipped through the papers that were situated in his hands, reading them over and over again to make sure that he had the right words prepared. His hands shook violently and his grip was tight on the papers. Afraid of ripping them, he loosened his grip on them slightly. As a result, the papers flew from his hands and scattered on the table in front of him as well as on the floor beneath him.

Instead of reaching down to pick up the mess that had formed, Viktor put his head in his hands and curled himself in. His legs bounced up and down and his breath was becoming ragged. His hair was tousled and all over the place. The dark lines underneath his eyes showed that he had hardly been sleeping. He wanted to get this right, and he wanted to confess his crimes to the world and show them that he wasn't as perfect as they thought he was. The part of him that didn't want the world to know, though, was struggling to get him to back out of the release of the information. His nerves were racking on high and he felt that he was going to throw up once again. It wasn't doing anything to help him with his health, but he had to do this.

He had to take responsibility of his actions.

"Come on, Viktor," the silver man heard spoken as the rustling of papers reached his ears. "I didn't cancel my flight back to Thailand just to see you chicken out!"

"I didn't tell you that you had to stay," Viktor replied with shaky words. He looked up and put his hands in his hair, watching Phichit sort the papers. The Thai boy didn't look annoyed, like Viktor thought he would be. He looked more worried than anything and he glanced up at Viktor after setting the stack onto the table.

"Viktor, you look like crap," Phichit voiced honestly, causing Viktor to laugh dryly.

"Obviously," he replied with a sigh and rubbed his hands over his face before letting them drop carelessly into his lap. "If it were you, I bet you'd be acting and looking just like me."

"Seriously, Viktor, you can't go to an interview looking like that, especially one this important," Phichit pressed, moving and grabbing the Russian by the arm. "There's still a few hours yet until the conference. You go and get some sleep and I'll wake you when you need to be up to get ready."

"Phichit-"

"Go and get rid of those bags, it makes you look old," Phichit joked, pushing the Russian man off to his room.

With a small, almost unnoticeable smile, Viktor made his way over to his room and plopped down onto his bed. He wrapped the covers around his body and sighed. Makkachin jumped onto the bed and curled up next to him. He wrapped his arms around the mass of fur and took a deep breath closing his eyes.

Viktor knew that Phichit was right, and he lazily ran his fingers through Makkachin's fur. The poodle huffed in content and curled closer to Viktor at the contact. Trying his best to clear his mind, he relaxed himself and allowed the darkness to drag him into a dreamless sleep.


	16. The Conference Part 1

Viktor paced back and forth in the hall, taking deep, calming breaths as he did so. He jogged a bit in place and stretched a little to loosen his tight muscles. His heart was beating at a million miles a minute and felt ready to burst from his chest at any moment. It was only a few minutes to the press conference and his nerves were on high. Pulling at the hem of his trench coat, Viktor looked into a nearby mirror. Noticing that the constant pulling at the tips of his hair had caused it to dishevel, he ran his fingers back through it and untangled any knots that had formed.

He had gotten the sleep he needed to rid himself of the bags that had formed underneath his eyes from the past few days. Admittedly, Viktor could say that he looked like nothing had been going on to turn his mood sour at all. He was pretty sure that he was the only person that could see the worry that he wore in his expression. Well, him and Phichit, anyway. Nobody had commented on it when he reached the conference building and he was relieved at that.

Looking at the clock, Viktor sighed and closed his eyes. It was nearing the time for the conference; it was only a few minutes away and he needed to be as calm as possible. He was determined to get through as much of it as possible without breaking down. The thought that he would break down had already been known, so he didn't even make the goal to not break down at all because he knew that it was an inevitable feat.

The whole world was going to be watching and, for the first time, everyone was going to see what he looked like when he was crying on national television.

Hopping in place, Viktor shook his arms out to the side of his body. Thirty seconds until it was time for him to enter the conference room. He put his body through a few fluid movements of the free skate program that he had performed that season and allowed his heart to return to a mostly normal beating pattern.

One of the chaperones popped his head into the hallway and looked for VIktor. The black headset he wore matched his black outfit and rested on top on his head of short brown hair. When his brown eyes landed on Viktor, he called for the Russian skater to gain his attention. Flashes from cameras and the sound of voices trailed through the open door, penetrating Viktor's ears.

"Mr. Nikiforov," Viktor turned and looked at the man, showing that he had heard that latter, "fifteen seconds to the conference. It's best you head to the table at front now."

"Ah, yes!" Viktor replied, readjusting his trench coat before running his fingers through his hair once more. Satisfied, he walked forward and nodded to the man. The man nodded to him and moved out of the way, allowing Viktor to pass.

The voiced erupted the moment that Viktor walked inside, the flashes of cameras going off like crazy. The light from each flash left a part of Viktor's vision blind for a moment, causing him to squint into the room. News cameras followed his every movement. He plastered a smile on his face and politely waved towards the camera's, sending a wink before reaching the seat set for him in the front of the room.

Yakov was seated next to him, his arms crossed and his face het into a permanent glare. He only looked up at Viktor from underneath his hat to ask the silent question of whether or not Viktor still wanted to go through this confession.

"I wouldn't have told you about all of this if I didn't trust you to be here with me when I told everyone," Viktor replied in a whisper just loud enough for Yakov to hear over the booming voices in the audience, but not enough for anyone else to hear. "You're like a father to me and knowing that you'd be here at the conference with me helped me to calm down a little. Besides, when I asked if Phichit would be able to sit up here with me as well, they said that the table only had room to accommodate you and me. I prefer you with me anyway."

Yakov huffed and turned back to face the cameras. "I hope you realize that I'm going to also be hearing an earful of crap on this too because of that stupid thing that you did years ago." Sighing, Yakov looked at Viktor once more. "Besides, once you're gone, I might be able to grow at least a little of my hair back if Yuri allows me the luxury."

Viktor laughed and pulled the older man into a hug. "I think you look better bald anyway. You wouldn't be you if you had a full head of hair."

"Alright ladies and gentleman," the announcer spoke into a microphone after clearing his throat, causing the voices to slowly drop down to nothing, but not forcing any of the flashes of cameras to cease, "we are here at the press conference organized by Viktor Nikiforov himself, who had proclaimed that he was going to tell the world some information into the mystery that is his next season, as well as something that would 'surprise the world... but maybe not in the greatest of ways,'" he proclaimed. "Now we have Coach Yakov Feltsman and Viktor Nikiforov ready to take any of your questions. To keep this organized, we have set up a microphone in the center of the room and we ask that you line up behind it and ask them the questions that you have prepared. One question only from each person please."

Reporters scrambled over each other in hopes to reach the microphone first. Viktor flinched when he saw one of the female reporters pushed to the ground, then repeatedly stepped on. Some of the reporters were being elbowed and some were even slapped. Viktor was mortified at the chaos and he pressed the button on the table that called for security to come into the room to deal with chaos like this. Large men wearing bright yellow shirts walked into the room and began to separate the lions of the room and dragging the biggest of trouble makers out of the room.

Once the chaos had died, Viktor sighed in relief. He hadn't had that happen at one of his conferences before, and it was a bit more than he could handle. Was that a regular thing that reporters did?

Viktor looked over to Yakov for the answer and when he saw how pale the older man had gotten, Viktor concluded that no, that wasn't normal.

Sighing, Viktor placed a hand on the side of his head and clenched his eyes shut. He rubbed circles on his temple with his thumb, looking up and smiling only when he heard one of the reporters clear their throat. The excited expression the reporter wore while holding out a voice recorder sent Viktor groaning on the inside, but plastering a smile on his face nonetheless.

'This is going to be the longest press conference of my life...'

...

"Mama! You're missing the beginning of the press conference!" aYalenchka called out to Yuri, who was filling a bowl of popcorn for the both of them to enjoy while watching the conference. Yuri chuckled and moved to exit the kitchen, his feet padding lightly into the main room. Yalenchka sat next to one of the dining tables, his eyes focused on the television as Viktor began to answer the questions that the reporters were beginning to throw at him.

The boy only tore his gaze away when the scent of popcorn filled his senses. Yuri sat down right next to him and laughed when his son practically began to dig for gold in the bowl, pulling out the most buttery pieces of popcorn that his little fingers could find and popping them into his mouth.

"Fill me in, then," Yuri told his son as they both turned their attention to the T.V.

"Well," Yalenchka began, throwing another piece of popcorn into his mouth, "the only major thing that you really missed was the fights. People were being slapped and stepped on and papa looked so scared!"

Based on the weary look that Viktor wore on his face, he could tell that yes, Viktor had to have been mortified.

"Other than that, you only missed the first few questions."

Yalenchka promptly squirmed his little body into Yuri's lap, leaning into his mother's comforting chest. The boy allowed the warmth of his mother to engulf him and he sighed as the comforting scent of cherry blossoms and pomegranate wafted into this nose. He loved the way that Yuri smelt and he couldn't help the excess feeling of calm that would wash over him, even if he was already calm.

Yuri wrapped his arms around the boy and kissed the boy's black hair multiple times, showing his absolute love and affection. Yalenchka was so small in his arms, and it made him realize just how young the boy was. He was astounded by that, and even more astounded by the fact that Yalenchka was forever going to be his and Viktor's. Viktor was never completely out of Yalenchka's life, which he was happy about because the boy seemed to absolutely admire him, and Viktor wanted to be a part of their son's life.

It was practically a dream come true for Yuri, and he smiled lovingly at the thought of them becoming one big happy family. He couldn't seem to wait any longer and already wished for Viktor to be by his side and being there for their son, laughing and having the best family moments that could be forever imprinted onto their souls.

The beginning of the conference flew by in a matter of minutes, Viktor keeping his answers to any and all questions simple and to the point. WHen he was asked bout the next season, he gave off his ideas of what he may or may not be planning to do, but would never give a definite answer to the press about whether or not he was going to go through with it. Yuri could tell that each reporter was getting antsy and wanting to know, but they didn't want to make their only question seem to simple when they could have found out so much more.

If only they knew that the one question that Viktor was looking for was the exact one that they were all reluctant to ask.

There had been no more reporters up at the stand and Yuri paled slightly when the announcement came that they were moving on in the conference. How was Viktor going to handle it now that the one card that he had been hoping for wasn't dropped into his hands? He noticed hoe much whiter Viktor had gotten as well, the sweat falling down the sides of his face. At that moment, Yuri knew that Viktor didn't have a back up plan and he practically fainted.

Then, almost as they were about to transition, someone walked up to the podium and cleared their throat, allowing the announcer to know that there was still one more person with a question that they would like to ask.

Yuri had never loved his best friend more than he did in that moment, and it seemed that Viktor felt the same way.

"I have two questions to ask of you, Viktor," Phichit announced as if he didn't already know the answers to the questions that he was about to ask. "Are you retiring for competitive figure skating and has the idea of coaching ever crossed your mind before?"

Murmurs broke out through the conference hall and Yuri could hear that most of them were relieved at Phichit's questions, for they seemed to want tot know the same thing. Viktor looked abundantly relieved and silently thanked Phichit before launching into his explanations that he had prepared beforehand, albeit hesitantly.

"Yes, in fact, I am retiring from competitive figure skating," Viktor announced to the crowd. "This year's season is my last on the competitive side of the sport. I will still take pleasure in skating on my own, but it will be just for the luxury of it and without the stress of trying to reach the podium."

Yuri heard some of the audience laugh at that, almost as if Viktor were making a joke about it being hard for him to medal. But Yuri knew otherwise on the matter. He knew that Viktor had more stress on his plate than most figure skaters have to deal with because of his title as a skating legend to the world. Viktor had to try and continuously live up to that expectation and hope to never disappoint his fans. If he ever messed up on the ice, his reputation might as well go down the drain.

Yes, Viktor had a lot that he had to live up to and deal with and it certainly showed right now. The silver headed skater wore only a frown as the crows laughed and he looked over to his coach with a sad expression. Yuri could see that Yakov understood what had gone through his student's mind at the laughter and his face seemed to soften in ways that Yuri never thought possible.

Then there was a look that crossed Viktor's face that showed that he was finally going to say something about it. Yuri's eyes widened at the prospect and he looked at the screen, marveled and enraptured with the confidence Viktor seemed to be showing about sharing his opinion.

"I have something to say about your reactions to my earlier statement," Viktor announced, successfully silencing the crowd. "I hope that I'm not coming off as rude, but your reaction has made me just a little annoyed."

It was so silent that if a feather were to fall to the ground, there was most definitely going to be a sound louder that an atomic bomb exploding into the ears of everyone present. It was almost as if the whole world had fallen silent and was waiting for Viktor to continue his statement, as if there was no other way that everyone could continue their day. Some of the reporters slowly outstretched their arms with their phones or recording devices, not wanting to miss a single word that was about to spill form Viktor's mouth.

Both Yuri and Yalenchka leaned closer to the T.V. and waited with bated breath. Viktor, noticing that he had everyone's complete attention, began to speak again with determination clear in his eyes.

"The pressure of competition can truly get down on someone, especially if their new to the prospect of it and have never skated in front of a crowd before. Believe me, I have been in that position before and it isn't a very comfortable position. I've flubbed jumps and, admittedly, have forgotten some of my routines in the earlier days of my competitive journey, before I became world known. The pressure of it all gets to you and your mind immediately goes to all of the bad things that people will say about you if you mess up, which causes self doubt.

"That phase has left me, though, since I have been in the circuit for far longer than most people actually know. The competition part and performing in front of others doesn't get to me any longer. Actually, I had no trouble with competing at all until I was given the title of 'Legendary Figure Skater' by my fans. Suddenly, that was all I was known for and people began to expect me to be the best, be unbeatable, be perfect in every competition that I competed in. But because of that, I've been put under even more pressure than just a normal competition would advise out of me. I had to live up to that reputation. I couldn't be anything less than the perfect skate I had skated before, and as I continuously competed and my scores got higher, so did the expectations. They drowned me in more water than the ocean could possibly have to offer. I had begun to lose my inspiration on the ice and, though you may not have noticed, my performances began to be portrayed as lack luster. The performances still won me gold, but they didn't win me the heart to keep moving. They just put more water into the sea I was trapped in and made it so much harder for me to try to escape."

Viktor's voice lowered as the last sentence escaped his lips. His head lolled forward and Yuri could plainly see the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. Yuri bit his lip, his heart yearning to hold the older man and comfort him.

"All because of a stupid label," Viktor whispered into the microphone, trying to suck the tears back into his body.

"Oh Vitya," Yuri whispered to himself as he sighed, holding Yalenchka closer to himself and resting his head on the boy's mop of black hair.

"Mama," Yalenchka whispered, looking down in his lap and away from the T.V. as if it were painful to continue looking at his father. "I don't like it when papa is sad."

Yuri made a sound that signaled his agreement and pressed his lips to the boy's head. He could feel the shivering that his son's body gave off and he closed his eyes as a pain flashed through his heart. The shivering became more violent and Yalenchka's shoulders began to shake in tune with the muffled puffs of hair that escaped his lips. Yuri held Yalenchka closer as the tears began to fall down the boy's face.

"I-It makes m-me sad when papa's sad."

Yuri's heart seemed to break at the pure emotion that his son showed through the crack in his voice. His eyes clenched shut so much tighter than before and he had to calm his racing and aching heart before he could trust his own voice. When he spoke gently to his son, he had to force the sound through a constricted throat as heat flared behind his eyelids.

"It makes me sad too, YinYin."


	17. The Conference Part 2

Viktor relished in the silence that presented itself after the statement. The looks on the faces of the reporters in the room showed him that he had gotten his proposition passed their normally thick skulls. It allowed for his tense muscles to relax just slightly and he let out a breath, releasing the uncomfortable pressure that seemed to lodge deep into his chest. He looked over at Phichit and the Thai skater nodded, knowing that Viktor wished for him to ask the question about coaching since, because of the situation, most people may have forgotten what had been asked.

It was also Viktor's way to stall the inevitable just a little longer, but nobody had to know that.

"Well, what are your thoughts about possibly coaching since you have decided to retire this season?"

People in the crowd visibly leaned forward and awaited for Viktor's reply. Their chairs creaked in response to the movement and the silence seemed to carry on, so deafening that Viktor thought momentarily that he had completely lost hearing in his ears before he spoke. His voice boomed in his ears, causing more discomfort for himself as his heart began to race.

"I was my plan to coach this season, actually," he answered honestly, the sound of pens being put to paper being the only other noise in the room. "I even had a person in mind that I wished to coach specifically. He has so much potential and he can do so much with his body that if he were to compete against me once more and his confidence were significantly boosted, there is no doubt that he could quite easily knock me from the top of the podium."

Shaking fingers forced themselves into a folded position in front of him and Viktor closed his eyes for only a second in order to collect his bearings. Viktor slid his eyes over to his coach, seeking for reassurance in his actions. He feared that he was about to back out of the truth, the feeling of just leaving out anything that related to him and Yuri's unfortunate incident tugged strongly from the depths of his mind. It wasn't the fact that the thought had taken root in his mind that he feared, for he already knew the seed of doubt had been planted a long time ago, but the fact that it had grown in unsurmountable size in such a short period of time was what scared him.

Yakov took notice of the panic that was growing inside of Viktor, knowing just what was going through his student's mind. It had been such a long time since Viktor had gone into a silent panic attack, and he was glad that he had to deal with it many times during Viktor's junior days (though he never thought he'd be during the time) since it seemed to have prepared him for this unfortunate moment.

Viktor needed a confidence boost, which was a different remedy than normal for someone having a panic attack. Luckily, Yakov had some things to go off of, and he began to praise Viktor's ability as a skater.

"You are a marvelous skater, Vitya. You skate with a passion renowned to you yourself when you are no longer under the law of the ice king of competition. Your grace on the ice was gained through hard work and dedication to a sport that you love and, though you will non longer be skating for the enjoyment of the world, you will be skating to a tune wrought with love embroidered into your soul by those who have entered your life. Even without the stereotyping of labels placing a pressure on you to strive for your best, you would still be a force to be reckoned with."

Though Yakov had maintained a theme relating to his student's skating, Viktor was able to hint at the underlying tone of encouragement about the situation in the man's words. It was hardly there, but Viktor was able to quickly grasp the meaning before starting up again.

"This man had completely disappeared off the map and social media. He hadn't even said any goodbyes to the press about this matter and he left without a trace. The ultimate reason that he left was, actually, because of me." Murmurs broke out and he could faintly hear some of the reporters asking each other who the skater spoke of was and others giving out hastened answers of Yuri's name.

"His name is Yuri Katsuki," Viktor clarified for the whole room and gained everyone's attention once again. "Some of you may know who he is and others might now. He competed in the Sochi Grand Prix Finals around six years ago and he didn't do very well. He ended up in last place in that competition, and... it was all because of a stupid mistake I made."

Viktor visibly began to shake in his seat. His breath was rattling and he moved his hands to his lap, gripping at the fabric of his pants to keep his arms from forcing his body from the table. He took a moment and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in hopes to steady his wavering voice.

"What I'm about to tell you if very... unfitting of someone of my character and absolutely vile. I felt it better to tell the world myself of my mistake than to push it away and deal with the repercussions of what would happen when the press found out on its own." Viktor purposefully turned towards one of the cameras in the back of the room. "Parents, if you are watching this with your kids, please take caution. This is a very sensitive subject and I wish for them to not be tainted with the wrongness of my actions."

Viktor felt it strange to speak that way directly to a camera as if he were talking to an actual person. It was different when he skated because he only thought of his direct audience, but his current direct audience had no children, so he had no choice unless he wanted to taint the innocent minds of children all over the world. Viktor waited a few more moments before continuing with a deep breath.

"I... when... before the Sochi Grand Prix finals began that year, a bunch of skaters decided to meet each other at a place that sold hot pot across the street of the official hotel we were all staying at. The other skaters were all sat at a table together, but when I was asked to join, I declined and sat alone."

Notes were being taken in earnest, and Viktor paled at the intense interest the reporters had on finding out the biggest scoop of their careers. He gulped down the knot that formed in his throat and forced his voice through his mouth.

"My first big mistake was allowing myself the pleasure of an alcoholic beverage," he continued, watching as Phichit slowly made his way back to his seat. The Thai skater sent him encouraging glances to keep going, silently telling Viktor that he was doing great. "One drink led to another and soon enough, I found myself drunk.

"It wasn't long after I had begun to get the familiar buzz of the alchohol that Yuri finally walked into the building." Another breath was released. "He was looking over at the other skaters and, because I thought he was planning to go and sit with them, I got up and dragged him over to my table. He seemed surprised and was fidgeting in his seat. I could tell he was shy, so I wasn't planning on teasing him any, but my buzzed mind worked against me and I ended up flirting with Yuri anyway."

By the way people slowly stopped moving their pens across their papers, Viktor was almost positive that they all knew where this story was heading. They instead have him their undivided attention and allowed him to continue. Viktor felt relieved on the inside when the looked at him. It felt suffocating when he knew they were recording every word he said, but now that they were no longer writing, he felt just a little better. A part of his mind had convinced himself that nothing was going to be published, and, momentrily, it over-shadowed his rational side of the brain and gave him that nudge he needed to finish the story.

"Much of anything after that I dont remember," Viktor explained. "But I know that Yuri brought me back to my room and I convinced him to come in for a... chat. I'm sure that you all know what really happened. And, no, it was consensual. I forced it upon him. I'm despicable.

"Because of this, I made his knees extremely weak and caused him to flub all of his jumps in the short program. Then, because of his wavered confidence, he completely bombed his free skate. Had I not done that to him, there was no doubt his programs could have at least gotten him on the podium."

One of the members of the audience raised their hand slowly and unsurely. The coordinator of the event was about to tell them that no more questions were to be taken, but Viktor pointed to the reporter and requested her to ask her question.

"How are you sure that this was the reason that Katsuki disappeared? What proof was given to you to make you believe?"

Viktor allowed a smile as he pulled out his phone. He was relieved he had gotten some of the pictures of Yuri and Yalenchka because, without them, it would have been bear impossible to prove to the world of the incident. Once he moved to his gallery, Viktor waved over one of the technicians.

"Can you help me connect my phone to the projector?" The man nodded and walked away, swiftly reappearing with a few different cables in his hands. Viktor plugged his phone up to one of them and allowed the technician to complete the rest of the job.

"I'm about to show you the proof of how I know, the whole reason that I haven't completely given up, the one thing that shows me just how much of an impact I ended up making on Yuri's life. It could be considered either good or bad, but I like to think that it was a positive impact."

The projector flashed on and the first of the pictures appeared on a nearby white screen. Cameras began to flash again in earnest as Viktor went through each picture. It was like a slide show but words were not said and the pictures went by a little faster than most could comprehend. Viktor kept going, though, knowing that they would have all of the pictures anyway.

'Hopefully Yuri doesn't mind me putting these up like I am.'

Viktor stopped scrolling when the picture of Yalenchka holding his 'I love you, papa!' sign showed up. The cameras went crazy and Viktor took a deep breath.

"Yuri was born with the ability to conceive children. This little boy is the result of that night. This is my son."

With a quivering lip, Viktor had to cover his mouth with his hand to prevent the sudden urge to sob. His chest clenched painfully in his chest and he felt the heat flare all around his face. The tears began to fall so fast from his eyes that he had no time to stop them from spilling over. They ran down his hands and dripped on the table in front of him. His whole body began to feel like lead, unable to move in his seat.

"I've failed them both," Viktor tried to explain through the tightness of his throat, his voice coming low and forced. "First I failed Yuri by doing the unthinkable and then I failed my son for not being the father that the boy so deserved. I didn't even believe it possible I had a son and I denied his existence at first. I'm not only a horrible person, but a horrible father."

It was silent in the room as people began to mull over the pictures that Viktor sent. The Russian skater's shoulders began to rock up and down and his breaths began to be forced out of his lungs in short bursts. His whole body began to shake and the heat became so unbearable behind his eyelids that it seemed to force the ocean out of them in small streams.

 _'That's right, I'm such a horrible person. Look at what I've done, I've not only caused such a dramatic change in Yuri's life, but my actions have reduced me to the mess that I am now. No confidence, the feeling of being judged, the weight of how irresponsible I've become weighing down on my shoulders.'_

"Mr. Nikiforov, how do you know that Katsuki hadn't just settled down with a woman and is just playing your image by claiming all of these impossible facts and presenting this boy as your supposed son?"

Viktor looked up, a flash of anger flaring through his gaze and causing the person who asked the question to cower. A feeling of revolt swam in his veins at the thought that someone would dare to question the words of Yuri, even with the undeniable evidence that lay before their eyes. He was silent for only a moment when he opened his mouth to give a snappy retort. The reply got caught in his throat when his phone rang. Grumbling in annoyance, Viktor was about to decline the call when Phichit lunged towards the ceiling and shouted.

"Answer it, Viktor!"

Viktor frowned before sighing and relenting, accepting the call and holding his phone up to his ear.

"Da?"

"Go to the next picture, Vitya, and don't say anything."

Viktor perked up at the sound of the man on the other end of the phone. "Yuri?" The declaration tuned in the people of the crowd, everyone now focused solely on Viktor.

"Just do as I say, Vitya," Yuri consoled in a soft voice. "Once you change the picture, just focus on me and only me. Don't worry about the crowd."

Viktor blinked and shakily moved his phone away from his ear. He dully noticed that his whole body was violently shaking. His eyes could hardly grasp the Russian that was displayed on his screen. Following Yuri's instructions, he backed out of the screen of the call, a green ribbon showing on the top of his screen to show that the call was still connected. He swiped to the left and allowed the screen to change pictures, revealing the picture of the birth certificate.

 _'Of course!'_ Viktor thought, his eyes widening. The shaking of his body didn't relent, but Viktor knew that they couldn't question the credibility of the situation anymore without stretching at least halfway across the world with the most impossible of answers. Viktor quickly put the phone back up to his ear, the top of it shaking against his silver hair and tickling his head.

"Yuri, how did you-?"

"Stop talking, Viktor, and just listen to my voice," Yuri softly commanded. Viktor listened and immediately closed his mouth. "Take slow deep breaths, one at a time. Breath in for three seconds, hold it in for three seconds, and then let it go for three. Make the time increasingly longer and even your breathing. You're going to be just fine."

Viktor only just seemed to be noticing how uneven his breathing had become and quickly took to Yuri's advice. Closing his eyes, he breathed in and counted, held it, and then slowly let it go, repeating the process.

"You are Viktor Nikiforov, you live in St. Petersburg, Russia and you used to skate in the competitive circuit. Your coach currently sits next to you and has been giving you support, as well as a fellow skater and friend named Phichit."

It only took a few moments for Viktor to realize what Yuri was doing, and to understand that he was having a panic attack. His breathing began to even out and, as Yuri began to fill his head with the facts and soothing things, the tidal wave of horrors that clouded his mind's rationality began to receded to a calm sea.

"The seagulls near the sea in St. Petersburg are out there flying, sending out their shriek as the calm waves caress the sand. The air feels nice and cool, calming to a man who's lived in the cold his whole life." The comment made Viktor chuckle, his whole body relaxing from its tensed state as he leaned back into the chair he sat in. Yuri sent out a relieved sigh. "Are you okay now, Vitya?"

"You look a lot better now, Papa! I like it better when you're like this!"

Viktor began to feel the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes, only this time he was smiling genuinely and they were from his joy. The sound of his son's voice was more than he had hoped it would be. It was so sweet and light, so innocent and carefree. His lip quivered as he allowed a giant heart shaped grin to split across his face.

"I really don't deserve the two of you," Viktor voiced honestly, the tears finally dripping down his face. "And yes, Yuri, I feel so much better being able to hear your voices."


	18. Already Wrapped around his Finger

Yuri was being dragged through the station by his son, occasionally having to tell Yalenchka that they had to turn when the boy would over-run their next stop. The excited sparkle that shone in Yalenchka's eyes was bright and the amazed gasps that escaped his lips every once in a while reached Yuri's ears and sunk in them like honey.

Never had Yuri seen his son this excited and happy about anything. Never.

It was surreal to the older male, and it filled him with unrequited joy that his son was so very pleased. He should have told Viktor so much sooner, just so Yuri could realize the excitement that Yalenchka would show to meeting him so much earlier. It was so much more than he realized that it would be, and Yuri didn't know what else could possibly top how excited his son seemed, and the feeling it gave him was so immense that he could only smile and laugh as well.

Once the platform of the train came into view, Yalenchka began to tug at Yuri's hand even harder and dragging the man faster. The paparazzi was already at the platform and waiting for the skating legend, their cameras already set up and waiting and news crews poised for action. The moment that Yalenchka's excited squeals reached their ears, all of the cameras were turned and facing the two of them. The flashes of the lights almost blinded them, but that didn't seem to bother Yalenchka as much as Yuri might have thought. Yuri was also pleased when they kept their distance and avoided asking him and his son any questions on their presence.

'I guess Viktor's words have finally convinced them,' Yuri thought to himself as he laughed, Yalenchka weaving them through the cameras and people in order for the both of them to be the closest to the platform. 'Or Oliver pulled the final straw in their minds and convinced them then.'

Yuri had told Viktor the name of his doctor and said that Oliver was willing to speak in regards to the situation and wishing him luck before ending the call at the conference. Viktor had proceeded to tell everyone there that Yuri's doctor was willing to answer any questions they had if they were still in disbelief. That seemed to convince everyone else enough that they were eager to end the conference so that they could be the first to get to Moriyama and interview the doctor (if the Japanese press hadn't already gotten ahold of the man after watching the live stream).

Apparently the information that Viktor was on his way to Hasetsu had gotten out as well, resulting in the crowd that now stand behind them as they waited for the silver haired beauty.

Yuri had to admit, he was just as excited to see Viktor again in person as his son was.

...

Viktor let out a dazzling 'Awww!' along with a chuckle at the news that played on the television that lay overhead the exit of the train car. Phichit, next to him, was taking pictures of the screen since he couldn't get them in live action at the scene since he wasn't there. Yuri's Thai friend was extremely excited to be able to see Yuri as well, Viktor noticed. From what Phichit had told him, Yuri forbid Phichit from visiting him since Phichit was making a name for himself in the world of figure skating. The boy was bouncing in his seat in excitement, shouting how he finally gets to meet his 'Godson.'

Reveling in Phichit's enthusiasm, Viktor laughed and continued to watch the news, marveling in the beauty that Yuri and Yalenchka bring to a scene full of reporters. The only time he tore his gaze away was when someone on the train walked over and shyly asked him for an autograph. He was surprised, but relented to the autographs- and sometimes selfies- with his fans. His fan base had dropped, as was proven when he lost only a little more than a hundred followers on Instagram, but not as much as he thought it would.

Then, when people started to recognize Yuri as a skater as well and did some research, his followers seemed to boom at unprecedented levels. Suddenly, he was being tagged in photos that included Yuri and Yalenchka that were shot from a distance, fan art of him and Yuri in the most adorable situations, and even fan art of him, Yuri, and Yalenchka in family huddles or in everyday family situations. There was just so much stuff out there that proved to him that the majority of the world was supporting him.

To think that it had only been two days since the conference.

"Now arriving at Hasetsu station," the woman over the intercom of the train announced.

Viktor's heart pounded in his chest as he sat up straighter in his seat, pulling his trench coat tighter to straighten out any wrinkles that had made home in it. His smile became ever brighter as the train slowed and he had to pull together a lot of self restraint in order to stay seated until the train stopped. The moment that the train was safely parked at the loading dock, he bounced from his seat and jogged in front of the slow opening car doors.

The moment they were open, his eyes caught the sight of Yuri and Yalenchka waiting there with smiles on their faces. Yalenchka was situated in front of Yuri, pressed up against the older man's form with Yuri's hands on his shoulders, situating him in place. Yalenchka had what looked like a poodle plushie in his hands, holding it up to his chest. The boy's black hair, unlike his mother's slicked back hair, was styled in a similar fashion to his own. The black fringe of it hung over his left eye and a few pieces fell over the waterfall of hair to give it an elegant feel.

To Viktor, it was the scene of perfection.

"Papa!" Yalenchka shouted in happiness, tearing from his mother's embrace and taking off towards Viktor. The boys arms were open wide as he ran, the gleam in his blue eyes almost blinding. Viktor instinctively knelt to meet his son and immediately wrapped the boy in a warm embrace, holding to him tightly.

Yalenchka giggled in his arms, a happy sound that continuously rattled in Viktor's ears. In response, Viktor found himself laughing as well and bringing the warm child closer to his body. The feeling of love, unlike anything that he had ever felt before, spread across his body. The warmth in his pounding chest began to disperse through his limbs at a rapid pace, making him feel lighter than a feather. It felt surreal, being able to hold his son in his arms. It impacted him so much that through his laughing, he felt the warmth traveling through his body reach behind his eyes and cause tears to form and fall.

Pulling back, Yalenchka started in surprise at his father's crying face. "Papa? What's wrong?"

Viktor laughed through his tears and brought his hands up to the boy's small face, running his thumb over the smooth surface of Yalenchka's cheeks.

"Nothing's wrong, moya lyubov," Viktor spoke, placing his forehead against Yalenchka's and smiling. "I'm so happy to finally see you in person, Yalenchka."

"Papa!" Yalenchka called excitedly and wrapped his arms around Viktor's neck again and laughed. Viktor held onto the boy longer and ran his hand through the soft black of his son's hair. He sighed with a smile before looking up at Yuri, who was looking at him and Yalenchka with a loving smile.

Viktor released his hold on his son and stood, biting his lip and facing Yuri. He felt a tug on his jacket and looked down, watching as Yalenchka raised his arms up for him to hold him. Smiling, Viktor leaned down and picked the boy up from underneath his arms and placing him on his hips. Yalenchka giggled in response and continued to hug him happily. Viktor's eyes met Yuri's once more.

"Yuri, I-"

"We can talk about it later in private," Yuri cut, shaking his head. "For now, we need to find a way to make it to the onsen without being followed by all of these reporters."

Viktor nodded in agreement to Yuri's suggestion, following Yuri as the younger male made his way through the ever growing crowd. The reporters and news crews began to walk up to them, ready to bombard them all with their questions. One question asking about his relationship with Yuri and Yalenchka stood out to his ears. Pursing his lips, Viktor turned to the reporter who asked and adjusted his hold on Yalenchka's body.

"Please allow us some privacy as we work through the specifics," Viktor requested, giving them the camera smile that he knew could break millions of hearts.

The noise died down to the bearable level of a normal train station at his request, but the flashing of cameras had not stopped. Some of the field reporters were speaking to the cameras that came out to film the arrival, but their voices soon faded to the background as he, Yuri, Yalenchka, and Phichit walked away. People looked at them as they passed, some giving them warm smiles and others surprised glances, but no one actually walked up to them. Instead, they chose to give them much needed space to leave the crowded building.

Once they reached the exit of the station and the doors closed behind them, they were met with a comfortable kind of silence. Yuti and Phichit were animatedly talking as if they hadn't for years, the both of them leading the way as the group walked to the onsen. Viktor set his son down on the ground and his hand was immediately grabbed by the boy. Yalenchka smiles up at his father, and Viktor's heart soared as he sent a warm smile back. The boy's hand was tiny, so much smaller than his own. He noticed, too, that it was the hand that had his luck finger. Something about the fact that he was holding the boy's left hand made him feel warm, and his smile only grew wider.

"Papa look look!" Yalenchka called out excitedly as they neared the onsen, pointing up at a building. "It's Hasetau castle!"

Viktor followed the boy's finger and what looked like a traditional styles castle was peeking through the trees high up on a hill. Feeling like a child, his eyes sparkled as he stared at it in wonder.

"Is it an actual castle?" Viktor asked with excitement, looking down at his son, who was looking at him with amused happiness.

"No," Yalenchka replied, and Viktor's heart sank. "It's actually a ninja house, which is way cooler!"

Viktor's eyes widened and he exclaimed loudly, "Really, ninja?!"

Yalenchka laughed at his father's antics nodding his head.

"Take a selfie with me, Yalenchka!" Viktor cried, pulling out his phone and tugging his son gently into a good place where they will be in the picture with the castle in the background. Yalenchka laughed and complied, the both of them smiling brightly, winking, and holding a peace sign to the camera.

The picture was swiftly taken and they both laughed as they looked it over. Viktor didn't know how, but he seemed to only grow happier as he realized that this was the first picture he had ever taken with Yalenchka. His cheeks flushed in happiness as he went to Instagram and posted it.

...

v-nikiforov: my boy is just the cutest~ #ninja #proudfather

Replies:

IceSk8terboi: OMG HE IS SO CUUUUTE~

nikiforovismylastname: Can he please be my son like he's SO PRECIOUS 😍😍😍

iceicebaby: That boy came from your genes, of course he's adorable

phichit-chu: I snapped a side picture of your selfie! You two are just adorable together

THE-chris: you did good banging someone like yuri vik. That boy is almost as cute as you and Katsuki's ass's

Crisxice: THE-chris you're right, their ass's are 👌👌👌

Yuri_plisetsky: bleh you disgust me old man... But the kid is cute

v-nikiforov: Aww Yuri_plisetsky! You do care Yurio~

v-nikiforov: crisxtheice THE-chris you know, from where I stand, Yuri does have a nice ass ❤👌

crisxtheice: OMG VIKTOR NIKIFOROV REPLIED TO MY COMMENT *dies*

Yuri_plisetsky: SHUT UP OLD MAN! AND THAT'S NOT MY NAME

...

"You know, Viktor seems to really like you," Phichit laughed, typing on his phone at the same time.

Yuri raised an eyebrow, his feet padding against the sidewalk as they walked through the streets of Hasetsu. A few cars passed by on the streets, but overall, it was quiet. The wind blew a cool breeze over his arms and through his hair.

"What makes you say that?" Yuri asked curiously, looking behind him to make sure that his son was still alive.

Yalenchka was animatedly running around Viktor, jabbing him with a flower and pretending it to be a wand. Viktor was laughing and playing along, reacting as if the spell that Yalenchka cast was actually real. Viktor actually fell to the ground at one point, holding his hand up to the sky as fake pain crossed his features.

"You got me! I'm wounded! I don't think I'll ever recover!"

Yalenchka laughed and pumped the flower into the air, claiming his victory as mage of Hasetsu. Viktor laughed with him and Yuri found that he was smiling at the scene, a sense of deja vu overcoming him. It was such a happy picture that he was seeing, Yalenchka and Viktor playing together like a father and son should. His heart swelled with warmth and he bit his lip to keep his smile from widening further and looking towards Phichit again.

Phichit laughed and read something off of his phone.

"He said in his messages on his recent post that your ass is amazing," he informed.

Yuri turned beet red at the comment and began to sputter incoherent words. His whole face was aflame and he could feel the heat radiating a bright red glow. Phichit was laughing at his reaction.

"N-no he didn't! He couldn't have!"

"Look for yourself!" Phichit urged, shoving his phone in Yuri's face at the same time. Once he read the message, Yuri felt ready to die.

"T-That doesn't prove anything!" Yuri spoke quickly and looked forwards, relief flooding his system like waves as the onsen came into view.

Yuri chanced a glance back again to check on his son and his blush died down. Yalenchka was now being held by Viktor, his legs wrapped around his father's waist and his arms around Viktor's neck. Viktor supported him by his bottom and was telling the boy something. Yuri and Phichit were a little too far ahead to hear what was being said, but Yuri could tell that Viktor was telling the boy a story. The entranced look on his son's face have it away, and if that wasn't enough of a hint, then the way that Viktor's face changed every few words would have convinced him.

Yuri began to wonder just how Viktor seemed to be so good at parenthood even though he's only been an official part of his son's life just a few minutes prior. It almost made Yuri feel jealous that it was so easy for the silver haired male to pick up fatherhood so quickly. It had taken years to get to where he was in his relationship with his son, and it seemed to only take a few minutes for Viktor to be on the same level as he was.

Yuri sighed, pushing his jealousy away and made a mental picture of the scene before turning back to the front. They were right in front of the door to the onsen now and he slid them open, allowing Phichit, Viktor, and his son to enter before he did.

"We're back!" Yuri and Yalenchka called out at the same time, attracting the attention of Yuri's parents.

His mother came crashing into the room, a bright smile on her face. She skidded to a stop right in front of the entryway, waiting for them to take off their shoes before bringing her grandson into a huge hug. His father walked calmly their way, nodding at Yuri and giving his grandson an awkward looking hug.

Phichit was the next to greet them, giving a hasty and clumsy bow their way. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Katsuki! It's nice to meet you!"

"Hello Phichit-kun!" Hiroko greeted warmly with a bow of her own. "It's a pleasure to finally met You! Yuri has told us so much about you." She thsn turned to Viktor, bowing towards him as well. "Pleasure meeting you too, Nikiforov-san."

Yuti laughed as Viktor have a panicked looking bow, almost as if he were disrespecting Yuri's mom by not bowing first. "P-Pleasure's mine!" Viktor bit out in a squeaking voice.

'Meeting the parents nerves,' Yuri though, immediately knowing what has Viktor on edge. He felt amused at Viktor's actions, for they seem so out of character from what he's witnessed. Did his parents really make Viktor feel nervous?

Yuri looked over at his parents and noticed that Mari was not too far behind them, leaning up against the wall and giving off the big sister vibes. She was giving Viktor the size up with her eyes, a cigarette placed between her lips. His gaze flickered between Mari to Viktor, noticing how Viktor cast weary glances her way and sweat dropped down the side of his face.

Now Yuri could clarify that it wasn't entirely his parents fault. He caught his sister's gaze and shook his head a little, mouthing 'I'll take care of it,' hinting how she didn't need to threaten Viktor. Mari pursed her lips in concern before relenting, dragging a puff of her cigarette before pushing off the wall and walking away.

"I made katsudon for dinner to welcome our guests tonight," Hiroko announced and began to walk away. "Let's go and fill you all up!"


	19. Sandman!

Viktor sat nervously in front of the table, waiting for Yuri's mother to bring them their bowls of katsudon. He kept sneaking ferverted glances over at Yuri, wanting to be able to talk to the man as soon as possible and work things out as much as he can in the little time that they may or may not have together. As much as he wanted to stay and be by Yuri's and Yalnechka's side for as long as possible, he felt like Mari was going to end up kicking him out into the street. The woman had stopped glaring at him after the initial greeting, but that was probably becuase she hadn't even bothered to look at him since.

"Ah, here you go!" Hiroko beamed as she entered the room with a tray holding three bowls of steaming katsudon. "Go ahead and eat up! When you're done, YinYin, oba-san is going to take you to the park so that papa and mama can catch up, okay?"

Viktor watched Yalenchka's eyes widen in delight at the mention of a park and the little boy nodded his head quickly. The katsudon was gone within seconds from his son's bowl and he watched, fascinated at how quickly the boy was eating, as the pork was shoveled into Yalenchka's mouth at the speed of light.

"Are you enjoying that, solnyshko?" Viktor asked with a smile and elated heart as he watched his son eat. It was only seconds later that the bowl was empty and Yalenchka replied with a nod.

The smile that spread across Yalenchka's face was one that sent Viktor futher into cloud mine than he ever thought he could. The boy was just so full of energy and happiness and oh so very pure. It was almost surreal to him that such a boy was his son. He could never frown when Yalenchka was near and he felt like he could comfortably act like a child when he was near. No one would give him strange looks.

'Being a parent is going be fun!' Viktor thought as the adorable boy ran and jumped in his lap, hugging him tightly around the neck. Content with the warmth that came with ir, Viktor hugged him back and relished in the soft giggles that were softly blowing in his ears. Yalenchka pulled back just enough to look into Viktor's eyes, the blue to startlingly similar that Viktor couldn't help but stare in wonder when he could.

"You and mama will join us in the park, right?" Yalenchka asked with hope, his eyes widening to an innocent looking size that had Viktor melting on the inside.

"Of course we will, solnyshko," he replied, rubbing noses with his son and eliciting a fit of laughter. "You have to let mama and I talk first, though, okay?"

Yalenchka nodded in understanding, jumping from his father's grasp and running over to his grandmother. His little legs were amusing to watch, in Viktor's eyes, and he couldn't help but wonder what it would have looked like to see his son with the little wobble that came with first learning how to walk. Using the images he had received from Phichit's phone, he tried his hardest to visualize it in his mind. Once he had the image, he painted it to his brain and smiled bright at just how cute it looked. It wouldn't be anything like see it for real, but it was still beautiful.

Yuri's mother and Yalenchka left the room, the younger of the two bouncing on his toes in excitement and talking a million miles a minute in Japanese. Once the sort closed behind them, the room was bathed in silence and it was just Yuri and Viktor.

The silver haired man looked over to Yuri and noticed how the other wasn't even looking at him. Instead, he seemed focused on the pork cutlet bowl in front of him, taking slow yet deliberate bites. To Viktor, it seemed that Yuri was trying his hardest to prolong the inevitable. It kind of broke Viktor. He didn't want Yuri to be uncomfortable with him, but he guessed it wad to be expected after the past. Yuri had seemed more lax when Yalenchka was here, but now that it was just the two of then, the tension in the man's shoulders was extremely visible.

He wanted yo break the silence, to say something, but he knew it would do no good. Instead, he picked up his chopsticks and fumbled with them a little, trying to remember how to use them from the times he had come to Japan for competitions. Once they were situated comfortably between his thumb and finger, he began to pluck the pork into his mouth.

The flavor exploded in his mouth like nothing in his life had before, causing his eyes to widen and a content grIan escape his lips.

"Yuri, is this what God eats?" he asked rhetorically and began to shovel the food into his mouth just like Yalenchka had. "Mm... so good! How often does your mother make this? It's absolutely divine! Vkusno!"

He heard Yuri laugh and he looked up hopefully, noticing the joyous smile that lit up his features and how his eyes crinkled at the corners. Yuri's shoulders shook and his mouth was slightly open in response to the noise escaping. It was a delightful jingle that pleased Viktor's ears and he couldn't help the small bit of laughter that escaped his lips as well.

The atmosphere was suddenly so much lighter than it was before, and it made Viktor feel relieved. They both laughed for a shile, so much that Viktor found that his stomach began to feel sore. In response, Viktor went to cover his stomach to try to stop it from hurting. He forced himself to take deep breaths so his laughter could die down and he looked up at Yuri as soon as he could.

The fondness that he saw in his gaze made Viktor melt. It was almost like a fairytale of sorts, one where everything just might turn out okay. The only thing that shattered the image was also the guarding tint that hazed over the fondness. Viktor understood, so he didn't mind it as much as he thought he should have. He did deserve this treatment, after all.

The weight of the moment suddenly shifted and Viktor knew that it was now or never. His limbs began to shake and he choked up a bit, but he forced his airways open and took a deep breath. 'I can do this.'

"Yuri, I'm sorry. Truly, I am," Viktor began, bowing as much as he could in his seated position. The hardest part had been finally starting, but not that he had, everything became so much easier to say. "I was irresponsible during a very important time in not only my life, but your life and the other skaters as well. I let habit and instinct run lose and it costed you both your career as well as your dignity." Viktor's voice began to shake and his heart clenched tightly in his chest. His lips quivered and he took a deep breath.

"Not just that, I never was able to take responsibility for my actions. I left you during a time when you needed me the most and I'm so sorry. It was a wild goose chase that I went on trying to find you during those five years, not expecting the things I would be graced with. I'm sorry for not believing that I had a son of my own, for not trusting you to be speaking the truth and for lashing out at your best friend because I thought you might have put him up to it. I'm sorry for making you raise a child all on your own, for not being the father figure I had unknowingly become. Yuri, I'm so very sorry for taking you and handling you the way I did. My actions are unforgivable and I understand if you hate me forever, because I deserve that treatment. I deserve to be punished for my sins. I'm so, so sorry."

Viktor was on the verge of tears and he tried really hard to push them down. He couldn't cry right now. He needed to be strong, and if he cried then there was a possibility that he wouldn't stop.

"I just," he began again, gripping his hands on his knees tightly and biting his lips. "I just ask that if you really don't want to forgive me, that you let me help you, that you let me see my son whenever I can. Please, Yuri, I beg of you. Don't make me miss any more of Yalenchka's life."

He heard Yuri sigh and he looked up. The movement caused a couple of tears to escape his eyes and run down his cheeks. Salty and wet as they were, it wasn't as much of a surprise to him as the soft, seemainly forgiving smile that was on Yuri's face. His own eyes widened at the look Yuri was giving him and his heart soared like a bird taking flight for the first time.

"I will admit that it will take some getting used to, having you around. It won't be easy being close to you for a while after our last encounter," Yuri began, biting his lip and fumbling with the hem of his shirt and looking down in his lap. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to keep your own child away from you. What happened between you and me is between the two of us. It wasn't YinYin's fault at all and the boybreally looks up to you as a father figure. I never kept it a secret who you were and he had been dying to meet you for so long. I'm not going to take that away from him."

Viktor was crying even harder now and he was looking through blurt eyes as Yuri sent him a heart wrenching smile.

"You can stay here at Yu-topia for as long as you'd like, Viktor. I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind. Just... refrain from unneeded contact between the two of us for a while," he replied, rubbing his arms. "I don't want to end up having a panic attack. I've been kind of weary of human contact for a while if I don't know a person personally. Please respect that."

Viktor nodded quickly, crying freely now and placing his head in his hands. His body racked with sobs of relief. He could respect Yuri's decision. He would do anything that Yuri asked of him without a second thought. It was the least he could do after everything.

"W-what did I ever do to deserve your kindness, Yuri?" Viktor asked, looking up through red, puffy eyes and a runny nose. "All I've ever been is cruel to you!"

"You've been so much more than what you're pasting on yourself," Yuri replied, leaning forwards on the table between them. "You've been my idol, the man I look up to, aspire to be. I used to think of you as this God-like figure, so beautiful and untouchable that you'd never even notice me. But I tried so hard to get you to notice me, and when you finally did, I realized that you weren't the God-like image that I placed on you. I realized that you're just as human as the rest of us. Kind of like a piece of art or a book. You're a masterpiece that everyone wants, Viktor, even though you're ripped at every edge. No one seems to care about your faults, because even with them, you're still a beautiful human being. And Viktor, no human being is ever perfect. There's always that deception that someone pulls on others, and it's just a fact of life. You may have been cruel, yes, but everyone is at some point."

Viktor sat up straighter and looked up at the ceiling, crying so hard that he began to feel a headache pounding the inside of his skull. It was so much more than he had ever hoped for. He really didn't deserve to have Yuri or Yalenchka.

...

Yalenchka hobbled over to his grandmother, tears evident in his eyes as sniffles erupted. His lip quivered as he made his way over, his hand covered in blood. The thick liquid was pooling from his knee and he felt as if he were continuously being hit with a chair right where the hash was. The blood was flowing down his leg and the pain was enormous. Hiroko was also making her way towards him with her emergency first aid kit.

"Oba-san, it hurts," Yalenchka whined as he sat down on one of the hard, wooden benches. His knee violently thronged as more blood gushed from the wound.

Hiroko keeled in front of him and produced a napkin, wiping away the excess blood on the boy's leg. Yalenchka flinched away from the touch when it came close to his injury. When she cleaned enough around with the napkin, she opened an antiseptic wipe and looked at the crying boy.

"Okay, YinYin, you know the drill," she whispered caringly as she prepared to wipe the alcohol wipe on the dirtied opening. "What would you like to sing this time?"

Through quivering lips and shaky breath, Yalenchka thought about it. A hiccup escaped his lips, making his body bounce in response as a cute sound escaped his lips.

"S-Stammi Viccino," he replied, biting his lips as the words fell clumsily from them. "It was papa's routine this year. We can just hum it because I don't know the words, but I want that one!"

Hiroko smiled warmly at the request, begining to hum the tune from memory, since she had heard the boy watching Viktor's routines so many times. This music was, personally, her favorite out of all of the ones that Viktor has skated to. Based on Yalenchka's request and Yuri's transfixion to the routine when they all watched it together, she could assume that it was also one that the family seemed to share.

Yalenchka soon joined into the humming, creating the intro together. The small, musical noises carried into the air and filled the breeze. Yalenchka seemed to relax at the sound and stop shakinf, which was what Hiroko had been waiting for. As he delved deeper into the hum, Hiroko began to wipe the boy's bleeding knee. They had made it to the chorus of the song when Hiroko deemed it tine to clean him up. The hum came a little strained from the hurting boy, a small whimper forming with it. Hiroko kept in tune with it though, knowing that it would keep Yalenchka focused on the sound instead of his knee.

It was with great difficulty that Yalenchka was able to stay still as the burn entered his knee. He was shaking again and he fdlt the burn spread farther into his body, but he kept on humming with his grandmother. He focused on the rumble in his throat and the melody that reached his ears and, eventually, the pain began to recede into the back of his mind.

By the time that they reached the end of the song, Hiroko had already placed Neosporin on the wound. As the last notes were hummed into the air, the bandage was placed over the scrape on Yalenchka's knee and Hiroko helped him stand from the bench.

Yalenchka felt the pressure against his knee, a little uncomfortable with just a little pain, but not very much. He felt his grandmother place her hands on his face and wipe away the tears that had escaped his blue eyes. The wetness smeared on his cheeks, but it was soon dried with ease and he looked up at Hiroko.

She was smiling down at him and ruffled his hair with a giggle. It was as if she was wordlessly saying, 'it's going to be just fine, sunshine,' and Yalenchka felt happiness run through him.

He jumped and wrapped his arms around his grandmother with a giggle, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you, oba-san!" Yalenchka stated sincerely into his grandmother's ear. "I feel all better now!"

Hiroko chuckled and set him on the ground, gently pushing him back towards the playground. "That's good, and you shouldn't let that stop you from playing. Go and enjoy yourself, sunshine!"

Yalenchka nodded happily and immediately ran back to the playground, racing up the stairs and through a plastic tube. Hiroko followed his shadow through the tube until he came out on the other side, albeit a little clumsily. He raced from the exit of the tube to the swirly slide and jumped on, sliding down with a squeal and a few giggles. When he reached the end, his bottom had slipped off the edge of the slide and collided with the wood chips beneath him and he blinked for a minute before giggling and taking the same route back up and going again.

"I see a band-aid on his knee," someone pointed out as two people sat on either side of Hiroko. "What did he do this time?"

Hiroko turned to his son, relief filling her as she noticed the smile that graced her son's face as he watched Yalenchka run all across the playground.

"He was running a little too fast and tripped over his own shoes," Hiroko replied with a chuckle. "It was pretty nasty, but it's taken care of."

"What did he choose this time?" Yuri asked, turning to look at his mother.

"Choose?" Viktor inquired in confusion, turning his gaze from his son to both Yuri and his mother.

"Whenever Yalenchka gets hurt and we have to clean up a wound, we sing a song with him to distract himself from the pain," Yuri explained. "He normally sings 'Shall We Skate' since it is his favorite song that uncle Phichit skated to. He changes it up every once in a while, though."

"Now that I think about it, where is Phichit?" Viktor asked in confusion, looking around in question.

"He went sight seeing since this is the first time he's ever been to Hasetsu," Yuri replied, remembering how Phichit had rushed from the inn with his own katsudon bowl in hand, ready to explore the entirety of Hasetsu while eating at the same time.

"It was Stammi Viccino," Hiroko replied, smiling up at Yuri and turning to Viktor. "He insisted upon that one since you had skated to it this year. We only hummed the tune since we didn't know the words, but it worked."

Viktor's heart swelled in elation as he wonderously watched his son on the playground. 'I really don't deserve these two.' Viktor thought as Yalenchka caught sight of them.

"Papa, mama, come and play Sandman with me!" the little boy cried out in joy, waving them over. Viktor immediately jumped up at the opportunity and ran to Yuri, holding out his hand.

"Let's not keep him waiting, da?" Viktor spoke with a close eyed, heart shaped smile. Yuri smiled back and slowly slid his hand into Viktor's, allowing himself to be dragged over to where his- their- son was waiting for them.

"Papa is sandman first!" Yalenchka cried, and Yuri removed his hand from Viktor's and immediately jumped onto the playground. Viktor whined.

"Why me?!"

"Come on Viktor, you gotta try to get us! " Yuri exclaimed with a laugh as Viktor begrudgingly closed his eyes.

"Okay, but you gotta play fair! I'm getting old!"

"You're not old papa, you're Sandman and Sandman never ages!"

"Aww~! My sweet baby boy Is so nice to me!"

"Papa, keep your eyes closed, that's cheating!"


	20. Snowfall Cuddles

**I went through so many different versions of this chapter before I was satisfied with the outcome, so I hope you all enjoy! It is the longest and most successful of those versions, but it is shorter than normal because I wanted this chapter to focus on this event only.**

 **This chapter includes some incite to when it all started.**

 **Is anyone else dying because of school yet?**

...

 _"Viktor, stop it!"_

 _"You dont know what you're doing!"_

 _"Gah, it hurts! Stop it Viktor!"_

 _"I dont want this!"_

 _..._

 _'Awww, Yuri is just so cute!'_

 _'His tears are cute as well!'_

 _'But... why is he crying?'_

 _'I_ _can't_ _hear anything he's saying...'_

 _'He's gripping my shoulders pretty tightly, so_ _I_ _guess he wants to keep going!'_

 _'Ah, maybe that's why! He's crying because he's overwhelmed with pleasure!'_

 _'I guess_ _I_ _can indulge him further...'_

 _..._

 _'How can he sleep like that, after all he's done to me?'_

 _'I can't stop shaking...'_

 _'My back hurts... and I'm sore...'_

 _'This is all overwhelming!'_

 _'My legs... feel so weak...'_

 _'What happened to my balance?'_

 _'Oh, it looks like I've fallen yet again.'_

 _..._

 _'Dull... it's not the same...'_

 _'Jump after jump..._ _I_ _just don't feel it... It doesn't feel the same as...'_

 _'Something happened last night,_ _something_ _amazing!'_

 _'I had to have met someone...'_

 _'Ah, why_ _can't_ _I_ _remember!'_

 _'Hmm... not my personal best, but_ _I_ _am in the lead...'_

 _'Where did the thrill of the night go?'_

 _'I should probably not drink before competitions anymore...'_

 _..._

 _"Katsuki Yuri falls to last place..."_

 _"Will this season be his last?"_

 _"I haven't decided yet, Moroka."_

 _'I couldn't do it...'_

 _'I failed so miserably, in front of the whole world, and my idol...'_

 _'I am undeserving to have even come to the Grand Prix in the first place...'_

 _'There were so many others who could have taken my place...'_

 _..._

 _"Commemorative Photo? Sure!"_

 _..._

 _'... Sorry Moroka, but the papers are right...'_

 _'... this season was my last...'_

 _..._

 _'Hm? Who is that?'_

 _'That's... Yuri Katsuki, yes?'_

 _'He didn't seem into the competition... had something happened?'_

 _'He looks about ready to burst into tears...'_

 _'How many flutes of champaign has he had already?'_

 _'My god he is gorgeous...'_

 _..._

 _'Oh look, it's Viktor!'_

 _'Why is that Russain Yuri next to him?'_

 _'Oh yeah, they both practice at the same rink.'_

 _'I won't let a teenager beat me up with words! That was embarrassing!'_

 _'I have to redeem myself somehow...'_

 _"Y-Yuri... I challenge you to a dance off!"_

 _"My family runs a hot springs in Hasetsu, you should come by and visit sometime! If I win this dance off, you'll become my coach, right? Be my coach, Viktor!"_

 _..._

 _'I think I'm in love...'_

 _..._

 _"Katsuki Yuri goes missing after Grand Prix Final!"_

 _'Of course I have, I can't show myself now...'_

 _'Moriyama seems to be a nice place to raise my child as well...'_

 _'The internet can think what it wants.'_

 _'This place is safe from prying eyes.'_

 _..._

 _'Yuri's missing?'_

 _'Where did he go?'_

 _'How will I get to coach him if no one can find him?'_

 _'Yakov's calling me...'_

 _'I'll just skate next season and coach him after!'_

 _..._

 _"You know, your papa is so amazing..."_

 _"I think you helped him with his performance today."_

 _"It looked like he knew you were coming and wanted to give it his all!"_

 _"I love you, Yalenchka."_

 _..._

 _"I don't know how to explain it!"_

 _"Why don't you believe me Yakov?"_

 _"I just had an overwhelming urge to be a father for a few minutes and it was my best performance in ages!"_

 _"Please let me use that arrangement at Russian Nationals and Worlds!"_

 _'It was one of the best feelings I've ever had..."_

 _'And I want to hold onto that feeling for as long as I can...'_

 _..._

 _'He seems so enamored with his papa!'_

 _'Kind of reminds me of myself when I first watched him skate.'_

 _'He wants to be an ice-skater too? just like his parents...'_

 _'Maybe one day you'll meet him, my precious boy.'_

 _..._

 _ _"Are you doing this on purpose to me, Phichit?!"__

 _ _"I dont believe you!"__

 _ _"You know I love him, so why hurt me even more?"__

 _ _"I'm already in pain because I've done something horrible!"__

 _ _"Don't make me feel like a failure as a father when I'm not even a father!"__

 _..._

 _'Oh God, Viktor knows!'_

 _'Well, he knows but he doesn't believe...'_

 _'I can't hide it anymore.'_

 _'He deserves to know the truth, even if it seems to be hurting him...'_

 _'This was exactly what I was afraid of.'_

 _..._

 _'This... this is real...'_

 _'I'm a father...'_

 _'Oh god, I'm a father...'_

 _'I have to go to Yuri!'_

 _..._

Simultaneously, both Yuri and Viktor both woke up in their own rooms, panting with sweat running down the sides of their faces.

...

Yuri walked out into the living room after taking a quick shower. There was no longer any sweat on his outer layer and his hair was only moist from left over water. He wore a simple gray t-shirt with a pair of black sweatpants, blocking out the incoming cold.

The room seemed brighter than usual to Yuri. The light coming in through the windows and doors of the onsen much more vibrant than would be normal for this time of day. It was still the wee hours of the morning, where none but himself were seemingly awake, which should mean that the light, if any at all, should be an orange color filtered through the sunrise. Instead, the onsen was basked in a light, airy touch that sent goosebumps along Yuri's arms. The light was white in comparison to normal, almost a hypnotic blue that sent a feeling of nostalgia through him. Curious of the sudden change, he went over to the windows near the front of the onsen and looked outside, a light gasp escaping his surprised lips.

It was snowing.

The clouds covered every inch of the sky in the lightest of grays that was comfortable and aesthetic for Yuri's eye. Flakes of white powder fell from the sky, light and airy without a touch of wind to blow them off course. Each flake twirled through the air like a skater on ice, so smooth and beautiful, only falling out of pattern when it joined with another. Even then, when they could no longer easily separate, they both soon found rhythm together and danced until they joined the rest of the snow blanketing the ground.

It all looked absolutely breathtaking.

A creak of the floorboards was the only thing that had managed to tear Yuri's gaze from the beautiful scene displayed before him. He slowly turned around, being met with a messy haired Viktor wrapped in one of the inn's fluffy white blankets. There were gray circles underneath his eyes and the hair around his face was a little damp, telling Yuri that he had washed his face before he appeared.

Viktor walked up next to him and looked outside as well, allowing Yuri to return his gaze to the falling snow. They both stood in a comfortable silence, a considerate amount of space put in between them. The minutes slowly ticked by, and soon Yuri found that his feet began to hurt from the constant standing. He moved to sit down, looking up and watching the snow fall until it disappeared beyond the windowsill. His eyes slowly trailed to Viktor, a pang of _something_ in his chest.

From Yuri's angle, Viktor looked absolutely gorgeous. The white light gave a soft shine to Viktor's silver hair, the odds and ends of it jetting out in just the right places that it framed Viktor's face. His nose was tinted in a light shade of red from the cold and his lips parted just slightly in wonder. His eyes, though, were bright in content and peace, reflected the snow and the longing deep inside.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Viktor asked softly, his voice breaking the silence and causing Yuri to start. "The snow, it reminds me of St. Petersburg. Though, it seems so much softer here, purer, less like ice and more like cotton."

The room delved into silence again, and Yuri just stared at Viktor, knowing that there was something more that Viktor wanted to say. Viktor lowered his gaze a little and his eyes caught Yuri's.

"I..." Viktor stopped himself before turning all the way to face Yuri. "Yuri, can we... try for something? You know, like something more than just friends?"

Yuri was taken aback by the question and he blinked rapidly. "Viktor, I already said-"

"That we can try to make this work, yes," Viktor stated, cutting Yuri off and effectively silencing him so he could finish his statement. "That you said it will be a while before you're completely comfortable around me, that you just need some time. But to what extent? What was your 'this', Yuri? Did you mean just as me being a part of Yalenchka's life, or both of your lives?"

Yuri wanted to say that he wanted Viktor in both of their lives, but he was scared. His past was holding him back, and he felt his mind overcoming his feelings.

"I just... I just don't want to be the father that can only see his son once a year and miss all of the greater things in his life as he gets older. I don't want to think about the inevitability of when I might have to go back to St. Petersburg, where the ice is so thick that I won't be able to break through and visit when I want to."

Yuri's heart was battling with his mind, his body shaking in response to his inner turmoil.

"Viktor..." Yuri started, biting his lip. He saw Viktor flinch at the sound of his name, causing his next words to be stuck in his throat.

"I should have known it was just a one time thing," Viktor spoke, wrapping the blanket tighter around himself and looking down at the floor.

"What do you mean?" Yuri asked, cocking his head to the side as his eyebrows drew in.

"You, calling me Vitya," Viktor sobered out. "I should have known you wouldn't want me, I'm... sorry I even asked."

That's when it clicked for Yuri. Viktor was scared that Yuri had _rejected_ him so completely already by using Vitya and then going right back to Viktor. It was a custom he had read about so long ago that he had forgotten about it. To give a person a nickname in Russia, then to revert back to their original name, was like a rejection, or breaking things off with a lover.

And Yuri had been hurting Viktor by only ever saying that nickname once.

"Vitya..." Yuri whispered finally, his body no longer shaking as a warmth from his heart spread all over his body and winning the battle with his mind. Viktor's eyes widened at the sound of the nickname, looking directly into Yuri's mahogany gaze. "But we hardly know anything about each other beyond the press."

Viktor looked hopeful as he quickly answered, his tongue tying itself together. "But that's what dating is about, isn't it? Getting to know your partner."

"I don't know anything about dating," Yuri continued, a small smile caressing his face as Viktor's eyes shone brighter.

"I can teach you everything you need to know!"

Yuri's heart melted at the child like excitement Viktor portrayed and he nodded his head in agreement. "Then I hope you realize I'm a fast learner, Vitya."

"Can I hug you, Yuri?"

Viktor was vibrating underneath his blanket at the thought and Yuri could tell that he was restraining himself from jumping on top of him. Pushing back the heaviness in his throat, he opened his arms wide and, almost immediately, Viktor found solitude in his grasp. The blanket wrapped around the both of them and Yuri shivered as the heat connected with his cool skin. Viktor was curled up in his lap, his head pressed up against Yuri's collarbone. The unease he felt melted away almost instantly as Viktor sat gleefully in his embrace. The heat from Viktor's body sent throes of content through Yuri and he sighed, resting his head on top of Viktor's.

Something had changed indefinitely, and for once since the beginning of this whole mess, Yuri felt like it changed for the better. His mind was telling him that everything around him was but a scene of deception, but he knew, in his heart, that it was something much warmer and far too grand than he had ever anticipated.

...

phichit-chu: you know, I had been worried that Viktor was nothing but a guy after fame and sex. But, now, I can see that he truly loves Yuri and wanted _nothing_ more than to be together with Yuri and be there for his _family. v-nikiforov y-katsudon #lovingfamily #cuddles #Vikturi #wishyouwerethem #love #guesswhojustgottogether_

 _71.96k likes 21.31k comments_


	21. My Heart Cries for You (Explicit)

_*WARNING* This chapter contains sexual stimulation. If you wish to skip that part, I will have markers to allow you to read around it. The section is small, but it is still there. Its been a while since I even touched or written a part for a rated X story, so sorry about being a bit rusty._

 **Enjoy ^-^**

Yalenchka woke all on his own that morning, groaning a little and shifting underneath his covers. The movement caused a gust of cold air to filter through the warm bed sheets and he shivered, grumbling and sitting up in bed. His hair stood up at off ends and his bright blue eyes were sleepily glancing around his room. Still half asleep, he crawled out of bed, shivering when his feet made contact with the cold wooden floors.

As he made his way through the halls of the onsen, he silently wondered why his Papa hadn't woken him up. Ever since Papa started to live with him and Mama, he would always wake him up with a kiss to the forehead and a heart shaped smile. With the normal routine broken, he felt like something was off.

He went to the kitchen where he could smell breakfast being made. He hoped to find his grandmother, wanting to ask her where Papa went or even help her with preparing the food. He turned the corner into the kitchen and was greeted with the sight of his parents both cooking alongside each other. Mama was wearing a cute blue apron that said 'Kiss the Cook', which he was pretty sure Papa made him wear, and Papa was wearing a bright pink apron that said 'I Kissed the Cook.' Yalenchka giggled at the attire, causing both men to turn around and shine smiles his way.

"Good morning, solnyshko!" Papa called out, wiping off his hands and wrapping the small boy up in his arms. "Did you sleep well?"

Yalenchka nodded, yawning as his Papa let him go to allow him to stretch. "It was a good sleep. But you weren't there to wake me up." Papa had just smiled, giving Yuri a sidelong glance. Yuri just shook his head with a fond smile before returning his attention to the stove.

"It was just for this morning," Papa told him, walking back over to Yuri and putting his arms around his waist. "It won't happen again, I promise."

Yalenchka took note of how much more stiffly Mama was moving in the kitchen than normal. Yuri had been working just fine not a moment ago, stirring whatever was in the pot without trouble, but when Papa leaned up against him, his movements were no longer as fluid. He brushed it off as nothing, thinking it because of the fact that he doesn't have as free of movement when Papa is hanging all over him.

With an idea in mind, Yalenchka went up to his Mama and Papa, crawling between the two and the stove and sitting atop his parents' feet. He could feel the other two momentarily lose balance before settling down, causing a giggle to erupt from his lips. Looking up, he noticed his Papa looking down at him with a playful smile. When his father dropped for the attack, he screamed cheerfully and succumbed to the tickle fest that was on his body. Papa's fingers danced all over his sides and on the back of his neck, attacking underneath his arms and his knees at a pace that made Yalenchka so breathless that his laughs were coming out as one, long wheeze. The tickling only stopped when the shutter of a camera went off and attracted the attention of everyone in the room.

There, in the doorway, was Uncle Phichit with his phone out and pointed at the kitchen scene spread out before him.

"Uncle Phichit!" Yalenchka called out in glee, hopping up from his place between the stove and his parents to run towards his uncle. He jumped up on top of Phichit, clinging to him like a koala and watching as he posted the most recent photo on instagram.

"There's my little King!" Phichit greeted, hugging the boy tight and shifting him to his hip. "Wow, you're a lot bigger than I thought you'd be! How old are you now, sixteen?" Yalenchka laughed and held up his right hand.

"No, no, Uncle Phichit! I'm only five!" He giggled out, holding on to his uncle's shoulders. It was surprising, really, just how much his uncle seemed to miss. Yalenchka could remember that time when Uncle Phichit couldn't find him when he was skyping Mama one time, and Yalenchka had only been hiding under the desk right in his uncle's view. He still laughs when he remembers it.

"Wow, that makes you a big boy now, right?" Phichit asked, and Yalenchka nodded very happily.

"I'm such a big boy now that I can do jumps when I skate, just like you, and Mama, and Papa!" Yalenchka bragged, puffing his chest out in accomplishment with a winner's smile on his face. Uncle Phichit gave him a look of amazement, making him swell even more in pride.

"So cool! You'll have to show them to me when we go to the rink today!"

"Mhhm! And I'll get to see Mama and Papa skate together for the first time today too, right?" Yalenchka stated happily, looking at his parents with hopeful, bright blue eyes. He saw Mama flinch a little and look at Papa, both of them sharing a knowing look.

"Well, me and Papa need to talk with each other a little more. We'll join you in a little while, okay?"

Yalenchka pouted and crossed his arms, a feeling of sadness plaguing his feelings. "But you guys always talk..." he pouted out, looking at the ground. He noticed that his parents were looking on with sad, guilty expressions and a spark of hope sprang through him. Maybe, just maybe, his parents might join him for an activity from the very beginning.

The young boy felt hands lift him off of his uncle's back and arms wrap warmly around him. He looked up and noticed that it was his father. Smiling a little, he snuggled into the warmth that his father's embrace brought about.

"This is the last time we'll talk alone for a while, okay?" Papa replied softly in his ear. The warm breath tickled his hair and rushed through his ear. Yalenchka pouted but nodded, pulling back a bit.

"Okay... but you better not take long!" he ordered, crossing his arms. His Papa laughed and kissed his forehead.

"I promise, solnyshko," Viktor replied. "Now you better get going with Uncle Phichit or you'll lose time to be on the ice."

Yalenchka's eyes widened and his heart raced in his chest. The thought hadn't occurred to him until his father had brought it up to him. He couldn't let any more time be wasted here. Papa had already promised to be at the rink as soon as possible, so if he wants a lot of rink time, he's just going to have to trust him.

He ran back to his uncle, pulling at his hand and dragging him to the front door of the onsen. "Let's go, Uncle Phichit! We have no time to waste!"

"Now now, just a minute!" Mama called as he began to pull his uncle towards the exit of the onsen. He stopped in his tracks, watching as his mother put some of the food into two separate bento boxes and handing them to his uncle. Uncle Phichit took them from Mama with a smile and Mama looked down at Yalenchka. "You don't have to eat here, but you're definitely going to be eating before you start skating young man."

Yalenchka nods in affirmation, puffing out his chest to let his Mama know that he had nothing to worry about. Mama smiled warmly and placed a kiss on Yalenchka's head. "Be good for your Uncle Phichit, okay? Have fun, I love you."

"I love you too, Mama!" Yalenchka reciprocated, kissing his mother on the cheek before racing out of the onsen with his uncle following not too far behind.

...

Yuri cuddled up to the arm of the couch that Viktor had in his room, Viktor doing the same on the other side. Yuri was growing more accustomed to their little talks now. He and Viktor had talked over all kinds of different things, whether big or small, and they've definitely gotten closer in their relationship. The only thing that truly needed more work was their contact with each other. Yuri, to an extent, was still uncomfortable with Viktor's touch. He hadn't realized that Viktor was a person who craved physical contact at first. He's slowly becoming accustomed to it, but there are still intervals when his mind leads him to wonder about Viktor's true intentions.

Even now, Yuri is unsure of what he should be thinking about it.

It wasn't silent for very long before Viktor shifted and looked directly at Yuri. It was surprising to see what emotion was held in his eyes. Yuri hadn't seen this form of hesitance from Viktor in a while, not since the first day that he had arrived in Hasetsu. The look in Viktor's eyes drew a frown from Yuri's lips

"Vitya?" Yuri asked softly.

"I know you are still uncomfortable with my touches," Viktor started, looking off to the side. "And I know that you have a hard time thinking about my true intentions towards you. Don't give me that look, it's really obvious." Yuri pursed his lips and looked away before Viktor continued. "So, I've been thinking about it, and I want to... help you, if I can?"

Yuri looked at Viktor incredulously. "Help me... how, exactly?"

Viktor fidgeted again. "Uhm, well, I thought about it and I really could only think of one way that I could... maybe... help you." The room was sent into silence again and Viktor bit his lip.

Yuri chanced a glance at Viktor's form again, noticing the hesitance. "Vitya?" Viktor fidgeted with his hands for a second longer before taking a breath and looking Yuri in the eyes.

"My idea was to give myself to you completely."

Silence fluttered through the air at the prospect and Yuri blinked rapidly. His heart was suddenly in his ears and his face seemed to have ignited into an inferno.

"E-Eh?"

"I know that it probably sounds a little wrong to you!" Viktor quickly stated, waving his hands out in front of him. "I should have thought about how to word it differently to you. It probably sounded like my intentions were impure. They are pure, though."

"Then what did you-"

"I meant it in a way that- I want you to take control of all of it," the silver haired man stated. "I want you to have complete control over me to show you that I won't do anything that you don't want me to. I will listen to all of your instructions, I will even allow you to let me to suffer from blue balls or something!" Yuri's face heated up further, having not heard something like that from Viktor before. "But I'm doing this to show you that you don't have to be afraid of me. That you have complete permission to ruin me, destroy me, because I know I deserve it."

Yuri was unsure of how to respond. He could tell that the words Viktor said weren't the ones he had planned in his head and the man most likely felt like the meaning of them were unclear. But Yuri understood them completely, he just didn't understand how to act upon them.

 _'Will this help me?'_ Yuri asked himself. _'Could this... be the cure I'm looking for- that we're looking for between each other?'_

"Yuri?" Viktor whispered. "I understand if you don't want to-"

"I think-" Yuri started, swallowing down his sudden bout of nerves. "Maybe this could be the thing that helps us? U-Uhm, what I'm trying to say is, it could be worth a shot?"

.

.

.

"Uncle Phichit, watch this!"

"Hey! Be careful! I'm not sure if you are allowed doubles yet!"

"Don't worry, you're here so I won't get more than a few bruises from trying one out a couple of times."

"Wait! Hang on, that's not how this works!"

.

.

.

"Are you sure, Yuri?" Viktor asked. "I don't want you to feel like I'm forcing this on you."

 _'Not again.'_

 _._

 _._

 _._

"Look Uncle Phichit, I landed one!"

"Only barely! Your blade was dangerously tilted! You could've sprained your ankle, or worse!"

"But I'm fine, see?"

"Hey, wait, don't try it again!"

.

.

.

"I'm sure," Yuri stated with the nod of his head. "I'd like to try."

.

.

.

"See, what did I tell you?"

"I'm sorry uncle Phichit."

"It's not me you should be saying sorry to, it's your hip. It looks like your gonna bruise pretty good, but you can still skate as long as you're careful."

"I'm sorry left hip."

.

.

.

"Okay. Okay, yeah, let's try," Viktor stated, disbelief clear in his tone. He wiped his clammy hands on his pants as Yuri hesitantly stood up from the couch.

It was with uneven steps that Yuri made his way to the bed, sitting at the edge and waiting for Viktor. With each step that Viktor made in his direction, Yuri's heart pounded harder in his chest.

Viktor layed down in the center of the bed and Yuri turned to look at him. His breath hitched when Viktor took off his shirt, leaving him in a pair of gray sweats. Viktor went to remove his sweatpants but he hesitated, looking up at Yuri.

"Do you want me to... continue?" Viktor asked. "I'm under your complete command Yuri. I won't do anything until you tell me to, okay?"

Yuri took a deep, shuddering breath. _'Complete control over him? I don't know how to do this... wait.'_

"You don't happen to have any, uh, lube do you?" Yuri asked with a stutter to his voice. Viktor blushed brightly and shook his head.

"It's not like I didn't think about it," Viktor admitted, "but I thought that you might want to take me like I did you, so I didn't bother to go and get any..."

Yuri blinked in surprise before furrowing his eyebrows. "Vitya, have you ever been taken before?" Viktor turned redder and shook his head. "Well, you're the only person I've been with this way, so I'm not experienced in this role. I don't want to risk hurting you at all, and I'm honestly terrified." Yuri trembled. "But I'm not going to ruin you're first time in submission by, uh, taking you dry." Yuri's face felt like it was on fire.

"But I did that to you!" Viktor stated with a solemn look. "And it was your first time as well-"

"Which is why I'm not going to do that to you," Yuri replied with the shake of his head. "Let me go and get some massaging oils, at the very least. I'll be right back."

Yuri left the room and grabbed some massaging oils from the supply closet down the hall. He picked an unscented oil and walked back down the hall.

Mari happened to walk by and when she noticed the oil, she smirked and gave him a wink. "You better give him a run for his money, kid." She stated and patted his back before walking farther away. "And make sure he doesn't disturb the guests. I know you can control yourself, but I'm not so sure about him."

Yuri burned bright and raced into the room, taking a deep breath to calm his speeding heart. His eyes were squeezed shut and his limbs seemed full of too much energy.

Viktor was still in the same spot on the bed that Yuri left him in. He brought the oil over and set it on the bedside table before hopping back on the bed. He didn't know what do from here, so he bit his lip and looking Viktor in the eyes.

"We should find a mood," Viktor supplied, noticing the lost look. "Do what you normally would to stimulate yourself."

Yuri nodded hesitantly and took off his shirt, setting his glasses on the bedside table. He looked back at Viktor and took a deep breath before inching his lips closer to Viktor's. Viktor didn't move, allowing Yuri to make the first move. Once Yuri's lips found Viktor's, a tingle was sent into Yuri's face, slowly trailing down his neck and arms. His fingers trailed lightly up Viktor's arms and down torso in a way that he knew was pleasurable for himself. At the keening noises that fled Viktor's lips softly, Yuri knew that he liked it as well.

He deepened the kiss, his teeth brushing against Viktor's just slightly and sending waves down his spine. Viktor's breath shuddered, allowing Yuri to experimentally flick his tongue. A breathy sound escaped Viktor, Yuri's breath becoming heavier as a result. Yuri groaned, wondering why Viktor's hands weren't _on_ him already. He wondered why Viktor wasn't _touching_ him yet.

His body's response to those thoughts scared him, for a whine passed his lips and he grabbed Viktor's hands to start trailing them along his bared chest and back.

"Why aren't you touching me like this, Vitya?" Yuri asked shyly, replacing his hands on Viktor's bared skin. He shivered again when Viktor very lightly ran his fingers along his back.

"I told you," Viktor whispered along Yuri's lips. "Nothing until you say."

Yuri swallowed hard and breathed deeply, ghosting his lips over Viktor's. "Please touch me, Vitya," he whispered in plea, all the while tugging on Viktor's sweats. Without being told twice, Viktor began to trail his fingers over Yuri's exposed skin, as if worshiping every inch of it. Viktor especially paid attention to Yuri's stomach and hips, rubbing circles at the small pudges of fat that never left after giving birth. He trailed his fingers along the scar that remained after the c-section, causing an intense shiver to run down Yuri's spine once more.

The feelings and emotions coursing through Yuri were unlike anything that he had ever experienced before. It was nothing like what he felt the first time he was with Viktor. He felt warm, welcomed, _wanted._ The way Viktor practically worshiped his very being was surreal and caused a heavy groan to fill the room when the both of them were bared to the air.

It was hot, heavy, and it felt like heaven. The pleasure was almost overwhelming in a sense, and Yuri felt intoxicated with the presence that Viktor held in that moment. The other man was huffing, sweat clinging to his chest and his erection hard and heavy. Viktor whispered Yuri's name like a prayer on repeat, but he didn't dare any more contact than Yuri allowed, and it made Yuri feel powerful, confident, and daring.

Yuri, fueled by instinct, grinded their erections together, and cried out a low moan at the stimulation. A pressure began to build in his abdomen and chest, and Viktor had his eyes closed, his speech switching from English to Russian as Yuri continued to grind along Viktor.

The pressure in his abdomen began to build, but not as quickly as the pressure in his chest.

Suddenly, it was all _too much._

Yuri froze, his breath laboured and his eyes wide. His eyes felt hot and his mind began to wander towards unpleasant memories. He practically jumped off of Viktor before said man sat up and grabbed hold of Yuri's shoulders.

"Yuri? Yuri? Say something to me, love!" Viktor begged with a panicked expression on his face. Yuri could see it, could see how Viktor was already blaming himself.

"I-I," Yuri began, his eyes tearing up, the panic still not leaving his chest. "I- Vitya it's too much. I'm terrified Vitya, help me," Yuri choked out as warm tears fell freely down his cheeks. He curled in on himself and allowed Viktor to pull him closer and envelop him in warmth.

"I'm sorry, Yuri," Viktor whispered into his hair. "I shouldn't have- this is my fault-"

"Baby steps, okay?" Yuri cut him off, his body still shivering. "We can- we can keep going another time, but with baby steps."

"Y-Yeah, baby steps," Viktor shispered and kissed the top of Yuri's head.

Viktor was silent, but Yuri could feel his hands running through his hair and sighed in appreciation. No other words were needed, Yuri knew Viktor understood, and that was good enough for now.

.

.

.

"Mama, where's Papa?" Yalenchka asked once he noticed his mother had entered the rink. He and Uncle Phichit had been skating for well over an hour and he was excited once he saw that he had arrived, but the absence of his father was confusing.

Mama just smiled knowingly and laced up his skates. Yalenchka pouted at the absence of an answer and was about to demand an answer from his mother before he found himself _flying_.

Yalenchka shrieked in delight and turned his head to find his father smiling brightly at him. He was set back on the ice and tugged alongside Papa, doing figures and racing his papa across the frozen surface.

"You and Mama took forever!" Yalenchka squealed and Papa took the lead in their race.

"Well, I'm here now solnyshko!" Papa replied. "You've even had time to warm up, so you should be able to beat me! I bet you can't catch up to Papa!"

"That's not fair though! You already had a head start since the beginning!"

Phichit skated over to the edge where Yuri was still lacing up his skates. Viktor had confided in him and Mari about the possible healing method, so he was concerned with his friend, and hoped nothing too terrible happened.

"Is everything okay?" Phichit asked in a concerned tone. Yuri took a moment to answer, but he nodded, a soft smile on his lips.

"Yeah, it's just going to take time," he supplied, looking out on the ice. Viktor and Yalenchka happily skated together and Viktor, as if sensing Yuri's gaze, looked over and smiled brightly in his direction, accompanied by a wink.

"You guys didn't do the do, then," Phichit breathed out with a frown.

"Even if we did I wouldn't give you the details. I know we're best friends, but I won't go talking to you about my sex life."

"You must have done something then!" Phichit gasped, as if something that Yuri said implied anything. "Did he blow you? Is his mouth really as fantastic as the stories say?"

"What, no! Phichit, there is a child present!"

"You at least grinded on each other, right?"

"Shut up!"


	22. Shopping Fanatics!

"We need to go shopping!" Yuri called out to the boys in the common room as he dried off his hands. He had finished washing the lunch dishes when he remembered the list he had sitting on his bed that contained the items that Yalenchka will need for school.

"But the re-run for Worlds is on!" Phichit whined from the other room, groans of protest from the other two rolling through the waves. Yuri rolled his eyes and sighed, walking to the entrance of the common room. He leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms, his gaze trapped on the three boys laying about with their eyes glued on the television.

"We need to get Yalenchka's school supplies and I'm not carrying everything myself. You're all coming with me whether you want to or not."

The older boys in the room both flopped back onto the floor, Yalenchka paying them no mind. As they grumbled out further protests, Yuri watched as his son scooted closer to the television. Viktor's performance was playing on the screen, which explained why Yalenchka hadn't noticed Viktor and Phichit flopping next to him.

"Okay, fine," Yuri conceded, pushing off the wall. "You can finish watching Viktor's performance, but you will be getting ready once it's over!"

"You're no fun!" Phichit groaned out in complaint. He sent Yuri a smile of gratitude anyway, and Yuri snorted.

"You love me anyway."

"Why of course we do!" Viktor replied, mocking fake hurt, putting a hand over his heart. "How you wound us!"

Yuri just smiled and shook his head, making his way towards his bedroom. He grabbed a light jacket from his closet and threw it over his shoulders. Once it was situated, he began to look for the list of supplies he'd need to pick up for his son. Even though he remembered placing it on his bed, the list seems to have disappeared. Frowning, Yuri knelt on the ground and looked under the bed. When he couldn't find it there, he check the desk on the other side of the room and sighed in relief. It was next to the picture frame situated on the right side, the black ink plain as day. He reached down, grasping the long slip of paper and folding it. After placing it in his pocket, his eyes traced the picture frame it sat next to.

It was a picture that Phichit had taken at the rink the other day. Yalenchka sat on one of Viktor's shoulders, Yuri's other shoulder holding him in place. A bright smile was plastered on the boy's face, his beanie just a bit too big and covering his head up to his eyebrows. There was a small scrunch to Yalenchka's nose, indicating the picture was taken mid-laugh. Viktor and himself were also in the middle of laughing as well, both of their gazes staring lovingly up at their son.

Yuri picked up the frame with a small smile, his heart exploding in warmth. He graced his nail along the glass, a feeling of nostalgia coursing through him at just how happy everyone in the picture was. Fingering the wooden frame, a huff escaped him and he shook his head, his smile growing.

Things had certainly changed since Viktor and Phichit had arrived in Hasetsu. The town itself seemed so much brighter, not quite as old and slow as it used to be. Everywhere that those three went would suddenly have an unexplainable amount of carefree energy. The locals seem to smile more when visiting the inn and the tourists are ecstatic about not only the beautiful scenery of the seaside town, but how young Viktor and Yalenchka seem to make them feel. Not only that, but they also had a master photographer to record all kinds of different adventures for them. Phichit had gained an even bigger following because of it and rambles to Yuri about how, when he retires, he's going to use his photography to make a career for himself and become world-renowned for his artistry. (Yuri had already thought of this scenario before and prided himself in pre-ordering a professional camera for his Thai friend. It currently sat in a box in his dresser, awaiting Phichit's expertise once the man's next birthday rolled around.)

Overall, Hasetsu became noticeably more breathable and alive! Goofballs like Viktor and Phichit were exactly what Hasetsu had been lacking in recent decades. Most of all, with them there, Yuri thought Hasetsu felt more at _home_.

"Knock, knock."

Yuri set down the photo and looked over at the door. Viktor was leaning halfway into the room, his knuckles tapping the wooden frame of the doorway. A coat was already placed over his frame and an adorable poodle beanie- which Yuri was certain Santa had gotten Yalenchka last Christmas- was situated tightly atop his head, just barely covering the tips of his ears. A soft scarf was wrapped around his neck and Viktor's fingers were covered in a pair of black gloves.

"Hey," Yuri called, smiling at the man.

"Hey yourself," Viktor chuckled, walking into the room and leaning against the desk. He gazed at Yuri in a loving way and winked at the younger man. "You're the one who wanted to go shopping, yet you're the last one ready."

Yuri's face flushed from the knowledge and he apologized. "Ah, sorry. I'm ready now. We can go."

.:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:.

"Oh my gosh, Yuri! These scissors have _bunny ears_ on them!"

"Mama, these post-it notes are in the shape of a bee! We have to get them!"

"Look, Yuri! It's a sleeping mat the looks like a caterpillar! What do you think, solnyshko?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Papa, that's _so_ cool!"

Yuri sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as their basket continued to fill with unnecessary items. He didn't understand how Viktor and Yalenchka were finding half of these things and throwing them into the basket. He looked down at it and pursed his lips. More than half of what was poking out of the basket was not going home with them.

Had expected some eccentricity from Viktor while shopping, but _this-_

Did he just put a child sized _snow_ _board_ into the basket?

"No," Yuri immediately scolded, crossing his arms. "No, absolutely not. Put that back where you found it."

"But Yuri!" Viktor pouted with wide eyes, Yalenchka copying his movements as they both pleaded. "Its a limited edition snowboard that has the blue ranger from Ninja Steel and the blue ranger from Dino Thunder on it _side by side_! We have to get it for YinYin!" Yuri immediately shook his head, not swayed at all by the pouring faces.

"I'm putting my foot down, Viktor. I want you to return every item in this basket that isn't mentioned on the list right now," Yuri ordered, gesturing to the crumbled list in his fist. "Then we are checking out and going home."

Viktor and Yalenchka both gasped, looking appalled at the prospect. "A-All of it?" they both asked in unison, their wide eyes looking between themselves, Yuri, and the basket.

"Yes, all of it."

They both whined, Yalenchka sniffling as he looked longingly into the basket.

"Even the giant Katsudon pillow?"

"You found a- You know what? Nevermind. Yes, that goes too. If it isn't directly stated on the list, it goes back on the shelves. _Now_."

Yuri sighed as he watched the two boys take things out of the cart at an agonizingly slow pace. He watched as they held a small remembrance ceremony for each item before placing it back on the shelf with a final farewell.

Rubbing his temples, Yuri wonders why he thought it was a good idea to bring everyone to the store with him in the first place. He could have carried all of the bags no problem, right? If anything, he could have made more than one trip if not.

"I feel like I'm raising two children," Yuri breathed out, exasperated.

"Lesson number twenty-three kids: do as mama tells you. Don't give any lip about it or the grizzly bear starts to make its appearance. That is one of the most important rules, and you should never forget it!"

With his shoulders slumping and a breath escaping his lips, Yuri turned to look at his best friend and was face to face with a camera. Yuri suddenly had the urge to start bawling, followed by his throat constricting and a defeated look furrowing his eyebrows.

"Phichit, what on earth are you doing?"

"Recording the next update for 'Idol Parenting 101'! It's been trending for _days_ and people are dying for the next update!"

Yuri's eyes closed tightly and a huff of laughter escaped his lips in place of a cry. "Three kids. I'm going crazy."

"Yuri, can we please keep the Katsudon?"

Yuri feel to the ground and leaned against the nearest shelf, stuffing his face between his legs.

phichit-chu

[Video]

phichit-chu: Pro-tip, don't overwhelm mama either. Mama won't take you out for ice-cream after a shopping spree. _#idolparenting101 #sorryyuri #yinyinisstillcute #likefatherlikeson #thisisapackagedeal #aforcetobereckonedwith #istillseeamarraigeinthefuture #ibetterbebestman_

❤52.7k 12.1k comments  
 _liked by v-nikiforov, y-plisetsky, and THE-chris_

iceicebaby: this, right here, is why I don't want kids

IceSk8terBoi: DON'T WORRY YURI! Everything will be a-okay! You're obviously the better parent.

v-nikiforov: IceSk8terBoi I think the both of us are pretty good at parenting, wouldn't you say y-katsudon ?

y-katsudon: v-nikiforov this parenting thing was working just fine before you arrived. I feel like I'm raising 2 kids now! You have a long way to go.

v-nikiforov: y-katsudon but yuuuuri~! I do have some experience! And Yalenchka loves me!

y-katsudon: v-nikiforov yes, he does love you, but you need to learn how to say no every once in a while! Don't even start with me, Nikiforov. I've got a whole 5 years on you. Fight me

Katsuki-Nikiforovismylastname: y-katsudon v-nikiforov you guys already fight like a married couple 💘💍

phichit-chu: Katsuki-Nikiforovismylastname I'm waiting for my save the date card. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT COLOR MY SUIT WILL BE! HURRY y-katsudon v-nikiforov !

y-katsudon: WE'RE NOT EVEN ENGAGED YET phichit-chu !

v-nikiforov: y-katsudon yet?! 💖💖💍💖💖

.:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:.

Yuri threw his phone to the other side of the bed, shaking his head with a fluched face and picking up the sharpie. He began to write Yalenchka's name on the school supplies that they were finally able to get once Viktor and Yalenchka calmed down. Yuri may have let them keep the caterpillar sleeping mat, but it was an item on the list for when the students have their nap time during the day! It was also kind of cute, even Yuri had to admit that.

"Hey." Yuri looked up at the door and noticed Viktor walking in. He smiled and waved him over, patting an empty spot on the bed. Viktor started his march over to him, dipping the bed as he sat down.

"Hey yourself," Yuri replied, placing a kiss on Viktor's cheek. "I'm still a little upset with you," he spoke up as Viktor reciprocated the kiss.

"I kind of figured," Viktor replied, leaning his head on Yuri's shoulder and watching as the Japanese characters of Yalenchka's name were written on each bit of supplies. "I'm sorry."

Yuri sighed, finishing Yalenchka's name on the pair of safety scissors in his hands before closing the sharpie and looking at Viktor head on. The older man gave him an apologetic look.

"You really stressed me out today."

Viktor nodded his head in recognition, casting his gaze to the side. "I know. I'm sorry. You're right, I'm a whole five years behind on experience. I can't let such a cute face tempt me anymore! I promise I'll get passed Yalenchka's adorable little charms and learn to say no."

Yuri smiled up at him and let his head fall onto the older man's chest. Viktor, in response, wrapped his arms around him, wrapping him in warmth. Yuri sighed in content, closing his eyes and welcoming the love that flew into him from every place that Viktor was touching him. They sat like that for a few minutes, eventually finding themselves swaying together as if there were music playing. The content silence was blissful, any and all child noises being made in the common room and unable to be heard. Viktor's head rested peacefully on top of Yuri's, his hands rubbing circles on Yuri's back.

"Yuri?" Viktor broke the silence in a soft whisper, almost as if he were afraid of breaking the atmosphere of peace they had created.

"Mm?"

"Do you really want to marry me some day?"

Yuri remained silent, his mind slow as he thought through his relaxed state. After a few moments, Yuri slowly nodded his head along the fabric of Viktor's shirt, nestling a little closer and wrapping his arms around Viktor's waist.

"One day," he whispered out. "'m jus' not ready."

Viktor's arms tightened slightly around him and he let out a breath of bliss as Viktor nuzzled the top of his head.

.:*:. .:*:. .:*:. .:*:.

 _Hey guys! I'm back after life has been a little cruel to me! I have 1 more chapter planned out for this book, and then the sequel will be on it's way!_

 _I already have some of the sequel typed out, I just need to know if you want me to include the sequel in with this story or if I should make a separate story for it? It's up to you guys!_


	23. It's a Date!

"You, what?" Yuri asked, furrowing his eyebrows at Viktor. He set the papers in his hands back onto the table and into the mess that was already there. Viktor sat across from him and was twiddling his thumbs, attempting not to ruin what little organization that Yuri had before him.

"I want us to go to couples counseling." Viktor looked away slightly in his nervousness. "I mean, don't get me wrong! I feel like we've made so much progress on our own in such a small amount of time, but some things I feel like we haven't addressed won't be fixed unless we get some outside help." At the unsure look that appeared on Yuri's face, Viktor continued. "I know it's not something that you really want to do. Trust me, I'm not a big fan of counseling either, but I really want to be able to get past the bad things that have happened between us and move forward. I feel like we're just avoiding the heavy stuff and hoping that it will resolve itself. That will more than likely blow up on us in the future and I just… I want to be able to move forward without having to worry about when that might happen. I want our relationship to be healthy and not like we're dancing around each other out of obligation. I want it to be more real than it is now. There is still some trust issues between us, even if we don't show them very well. I just… I don't know, I'm rambling, but can you at least think about it for me? Or even for yourself?"

Yuri drummed his thumbs against the table and bit his lip. He knew that Viktor was right, and that there was things that they definitely needed to work on, but was this really the only way? Did they really need to secure help from the outside to make sure their relationship moved forward? A sigh escaped his lips and he ran a hand down his face.

"I get what you're saying," Yuri stated after a few moments of silence. "Believe me, I do, but when could we possibly find the time to be able to go out and get counseling? You still have a career that you need to think about, I have a job at the Ice Castle and here at the onsen, and we both have a child to raise that is starting school next week. Those things in of itself already fill all hours of the day. You can't tell me that you just brought this up without thinking about the scheduling issue."

Viktor popped up at that, pulling out his phone and scrolling through it. "I have thought about it. I wanted to be able to cover the basis of this with you so that way you might consider it." He turned his phone around and handed it to Yuri, who began to read through the improvised schedule on the screen. "I've already been in contact with a counselor in Tokyo and told her about my interest in possibly setting up an appointment with her. She gave me the times and days of the week that she was available. The best time for us, based on our schedule, would more than likely be around two o'clock. That way, depending on the path of my career and your job at the onsen, we'd both have time to work in the morning hours and then get a bite to eat before heading to the counseling session. Then, from two to three, we'd sit through the session and be back in time to be able to pick up Yalenchka from school. After that, you'd have time to give your afternoon skating lessons and I can stay at the onsen and help Yalenchka with homework if he has any or I'll be there just to be the parent figure while you're away. Maybe I'll even bring Yalenchka to the rink and he can have some fun and I can help you teach the students."

"Ah," Yuri cuts in, "but here lies the problem." Yuri sets down the phone and looks at VIktor, who furrows his eyebrows.

"I thought I had that planned out pretty well," Viktor mumbled, leaning back in his heat and biting at his thumb.

"You do have it planned really well," Yuri agrees. "But that isn't the problem. You just planned… in the context of what you think our careers are going to be."

"Think they're going to be?" Viktor questioned, looking aghast. "What do you-"

"Let's face it, Viktor," Yuri whispered solemnly. "You're thirty-three, going to be thirty-four in just a couple of months. You can't tell me that your body isn't feeling the tax of skating for over two and a half decades. I know your knees have been hurting more lately and that your lower back has been killing you, which is why you've been spending more time in the hot springs." Viktor looked away, guilt clear on his face. "I'm sorry, Viktor, but I think you really need to consider your health a little more. I don't want you to just charge off into the season and get yourself hurt just because you want to skate one more year. If you think you can go another year, then fine, that's your call, I just wanted you to know what I was thinking."

Viktor sighed, a look of knowing clear on his face. "I know where you're coming from. I promise I'll think about it a little more, but as of now, I think I'll be skating this season."

"And the coaching situation?" Yuri asked.

"I'll either be face-timing Yakov or sending him video clips of my practice sessions. Those were his conditions if I decided I wanted to stay here in Japan with you and Yalenchka."

"That's actually not a bad idea," Yuri agreed, biting his lip and looking back down at the schedule. "At least you have a plan for if you do continue to stake this season. What if you don't?"

Viktor leaned back and looked up in contemplation. "I'll probably start coaching here in Japan, give Yakov a run for his money and send a few foreign skaters after his prized Russians. It wouldn't be too hard to find a few skaters here in Japan that would jump at the chance of being coached by a three time Olympic Gold Medalist, so I think it's a reliable plan to fall back on."

"And if I want to jump at the chance?" Yuri blurts, looking down at the table and curling in on himself and flushing brightly.

The stunned silence dragged on, the noise from the common room seeming to have disappeared, almost as if everyone were listening for the reply. The creaking of Viktor's chair reached Yuri's ears and he looked up over his glasses, to stare at the baffled face before him.

Viktor opened and closed his mouth and Yuri flushed darker in embarrassment.

'I shouldn't have said anything. He thinks it's a stupid idea. I never should have even implied that I wanted to get back into skating-'

"You-you really want to get back into skating competitively again, Yuri?"

The soft tone of voice laced thickly with a sense of longing nearly threw Yuri for a loop. He startled up, looking at Viktor almost as if he didn't understand the question that was presented to him.

"I…" Yuri cut himself off, not knowing how he should reply. What was he supposed to say? VIktor looked so hopeful at the prospect of Yuri skating competitively again that it threw him for a loop. He had almost expected the man to worry over getting back into competitive shape after taking a near six year break from the ice. He even expected Viktor to comment on how Yuri was approaching thirty and that going back in may cause problems for his health too, but none of that came to light at all. Instead, Viktor looked so happy and baffled that Yuri had considered coming back to skating.

"And… you want to be coached by me?" Viktor asked, putting his head on the table. "You wouldn't mind being coached by a man with no coaching experience?"

Yuri stayed silent.

"Phichit had mentioned that you weren't sure about coming back. He had said it and I couldn't help dreaming but to hear you say something like that now is… it's like a dream come true." He looks up at Yuri with tears in his eyes. "You mean it, right? Please tell me you mean it."

Yuri softened and slumped in his chair, looking up at Viktor with a shy half-smile. "I mean… I wouldn't have said anything if I hadn't been thinking about it." Viktor brightened. "And, I mean, I would probably not be able to participate in this season because assignments are going to be out soon and there's no way that I could be registered as a skater in time for me to be placed anywhere, and then there's the fact of coming up with a short, free, and exhibition program in such a short time-"

"Oh, Yuri, you're overthinking!" Viktor exclaimed, jumping out and grabbing his hands over the table. "We can climb that hill once we get there! For now, think long and hard about this and give me your final decision by the end of the week, and I promise to seriously think about my career as well."

"I…" Yuri bit his lip and sighed, widening his small smile. "Okay, I promise to think about it, Viktor."

"Oh, this is amazing! Just wait until Phichit hears this! He's going to be ecstatic!"

.:*:.

A few days later, Yalenchka ran around the playground with Uncle Phichit while his parents watched from the sides, talking softly to each other. His squeals sounded throughout the air as Uncle Phichit stumbled on the rubber diamond steps in his attempt to capture the small boy. Phichit grinned mischievously at his nephew and lunged forward with his arm in an attempt to capture the small boy. Yalenchka shrieked and laughed, hopping out of the way and racing toward the slide. Once he reached it, he grabbed the bar that was above it and flung himself forward and down the plastic slide. Once his feet were planted firmly onto the wood chips of the playground, he looked up at his uncle, who was already racing down the slide himself.

"You can't get me, Uncle Phi!" Yalenchka called out as he ran towards the opposite end of the playground and began to trek up the rock climbing area to gain high ground. About halfway up, Yalenchka felt a pair of arms grab him from around the wait and he shouted in surprise before bursting into a flurry of giggles as Uncle Phichit began to dig his nose and chin into his sides while making a funny noise.

"Uncle Phi, Uncle Phi, I can't breathe!" Yalenchka wheezed and pushed on his uncles dark mass of hair in an attempt to remove the older man from his side. "Okay, Okay! Uncle Phi! Stop, okay, I submit! I submit!"

Uncle Phichit laughed and removed his face from Yalenchka's side, allowing the boy to catch his breath and laugh it off. In an act of mischief, Yalenchka bent his back all of the way down to where he was upside down in his uncle's arms and giggling as his hair strained to reach the dark pieces of wood beneath them. While upside down, he caught sight of a blur of bright yellow that he couldn't quite make out while swaying.

"You are such a little turkey!" Phichit exclaimed walking forward with Yalenchka hanging loosely in his arms.

Yalenchka giggled louder as if it were the funniest thing in the world and began to sway, enjoying the view upside down.

"Phichit!" Yuri called from the sidelines, his head leaning against Viktor's shoulder. "If you drop him we are no longer friends!"

"Oh come on, Yuri!" Phichit exclaimed, using his leg as leverage to bump Yalenchka back into an upright position, resulting in another flurry of laughter. "Let the boy live a little! A little injury never hurt anybody!"

"You can't use oxymorons to prove a point, Phichit!" Yuri countered jokingly, shaking his head and watching as his son struggled out of his best friend's grasp.

"Put me down Uncle Phi!" Yalenchka cried out, looking to where he saw the yellow blob from earlier.

"What's the rush?" Uncle Phichit asked, complying and setting the young boy back down.

Once set down, Yalenchka got a better look at the yellow blob and realized it was a young girl his age sitting on one of the swings at the swingset. She had short, light brown hair with a pretty yellow ribbon tied in a bow in her head and a yellow and white polka-dot dress on her small body. A pair of white tights sat on her legs and yellow strap on shoes rested on her feet. Her green eyes were cast on the ground, a slight frown on her face as one of her shoes toed at the chips beneath her.

'She looks lonely!' Yalenchka thought, pursing his lips before nodding his head in determination.

"I'll be back!" He called to his uncle, running towards the lonely little girl. As he approached, she kept her head down and her eyes stayed blank, still unaware of his presence.

Even though she hadn't noticed him approach, Yalenchka smiled anyway and spoke to her.

"Hi there!" The girl startles and looks up, casting her gaze into Yalenchka's blue eyes. "My name is Yalenchka! But you can call me YinYin if that's easier. I've been told my name is a little hard to pronounce."

The girl stays silent, even though her mouth moves a little. Noticing her trouble with what to say, Yalenchka smiles and asks for her name.

"What's your name?"

The girl looks away and mumbles in a soft voice, "Yumiko."

Yalenchka brightens and laughs. "That's such a pretty name! Do you mind if I call you Yumi?"

Yumiko looks back up at Yalenchka and shakes her head. "I-I don't mind."

"Why are you over here by yourself, Yumi-chan?" Yalenchka asked, tilting his head to the side.

Yumiko bit her lip and flushed. "I had nobody to play with," she replied. "And I really like my dress and didn't want to get it dirty."

Yalenchka made a sound of assent and nodded his head in understanding. "I see! I can play with you, if you want?"

The young girl looked at him with uncertainty and then back down at her dress. "B-But I don't want to get dirt on my dress."

"We don't have to go out onto the playground," Yalenchka assured, taking the open swing next to the girl and smiling brightly back at her. "Why don't we swing together?"

Yumiko's bright green eyes sparkled, the prospect not crossing her mind. She sent the the dark haired boy a bright smile and made a sound of approval.

"Yeah!"

.:*:.

"Yuri!" Phichit cried out, forcing the older man to open his eyes from his resting place on Viktor's shoulders as his best friend came racing towards their bench with tears in his eyes. "Yalenchka abandoned me for someone else! How could he?!"

Yur's eyes scanned the playground for his son and found him swinging on the swingset with another little girl, their laugher reaching his ears and their grand smiles blinding even from here. His heart soared and he couldn't help but coo at his son with a sense of pride in his chest.

"He betrayed me, Yuri!" Phichit cried, plopping down on the bench next to him. "What am I supposed to do."

"Oh, shush you crybaby," Yuri scolded, swatting his best friend in the arm to quiet him. "Be happy for him. That's the first kid his age that he's become friends with." Viktor startled at the news next to him.

"Really?" The silver haired man next to him baffled. "But YinYin is liked by so many people! How could that little girl be his first friend?!"

"He's never really been around any kids his age," Yuri explained. "He's only really lived in older communities so he has adults fawning over him all of the time, but there really wasn't anyone his age that he could be around and set up playdates for, so this is exciting!"

Viktor was nearly crying with a smile on his face. He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and sniffled. "I got to see my baby make his first friend."

"That is so precious!" Phichit cried, taking out his phone and snapping multiple pictures of the two children on his phone. "Oh these are so cute! Where are her parents? I want their permission to post these!"

"We'll find them in a minute, Phi," Yuri stated, setting a hand on his best friend's arm to calm him down. "I might as well tell you here while you're already in a pretty good mood so I won't get tired of you squealing more than once today."

Phichit calmed down nearly immediately and set his piercing gaze in his best friend, almost intimidatingly. "Tell me, now, or we aren't friends anymore."

Yuri laughed at his friend's antics and buried himself deeper into Viktor's side, the other man chuckling along with him. Phichit whined more at Yuri, telling him he was taking way too long. "You can't keep secrets from me! It's rule between Best Friends! Tell me!"

With the raise of his eyebrow and a mischievous smile, Yuri shrugged his shoulders. "Ah, nevermind. Don't worry about it."

"Oh no, no, no!" Phichit howled. "You can't do that!"

"Do what?"

"That!" He exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at Yuri. "You don't just start something and then back out from telling me! That's illegal!" Yuri snorted.

"Since when?"

"Since the beginning of time! I could imprison you for that!"

"It's not even that big of a deal," Yuri laughed, closing his eyes with a facade of nonchalance. "I'm just returning to figure skating."

The silence was deafening, only broken by the giggles from the children on the playground before Phichit began to lose his mind.

.:*:.

"Oh no, Double Dutch! Double Dutch!" Yumiko called out and giggled.

"Slow down, slow down!" Yalenchka cried out to himself as he laughed, pumping his legs awkwardly in hoped to break the Double Dutch. Yumiko ended up doing the same thing and they stayed swinging at the same tempo.

They both looked at each other with eyes wide before bursting into a flurry of giggles.

"Okay, okay, your turn!" Yumiko called out with a bright smile.

"What's your favorite sport?!" Yalenchka asked with sparkles in his eyes.

"I really like playing soccer," Yumiko replied with a big grin. "I went figure skating one time and I really liked it! But, I think I like soccer better."

"Wow, so cool!" Yalenchka replied animatedly. "My favorite sport is figure skating, and I do it as much as I can! I've never played soccer before!"

"You should come to practice with my team some time!" Yumiko suggested with a gasp. "You'll love it!"

"That sounds like fun!" Yalenchka replied honestly with awe in his voice. "You have to come and skate with me sometime then! I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind helping you on the ice either! It could be so much fun!"

"Yeah!" Yumiko called out in excitement. "Then it's definitely a date!"

"Yalenchka, time to go!"

"Yumiko, sweetheart, we're leaving!"

"Aw!" Both kids cried out, slowing down on the swings. "But we want to stay a little longer!"

"That was so adorable, even if a little creepy considering they've only known each other for thirty minutes!" Phichit cooed on the sidelines.

"I'm sure you'll see him again, hun," Yumiko's mother soothed as she walked over to the swingset.

"Of course I will!" The girl supplied. "We both are taking each other on a date soon, so we have to!"

Both sets of parents choked up.

"Yeah, I promised i'd take her figure skating one day!"

"And I promised to bring him to soccer practice!"

"F-For a playdate, right?" Yuri stuttered out towards the children.

"Well, duh!" Yumiko called out. "That's a date, right?"

All guardians let out a breath and Yuri looked over at Yumiko's mother. "You wouldn't mind that, would you? I don't want to become an inconvenience." The older woman laughed heartily.

"Oh it's really no problem with me! I was just a little surprised is all," she assured. "My husband will probably have a fit that the first friend Yumiko brings home is a boy, but he'll just have to get over it."

Viktor pranced forward, holding out his phone to the woman. "Let's exchange contact information so we can set up their playdates!"

As the parents exchanged numbers and Phichit asked "Can I post these adorable pictures on my Instagram?!", both children cried out in joy and jumped up and down. When both parties began to take their leave,Yumiko hugged Yalenchka.

"See you later, YinYin!" Yumiko called after they separated.

"You too, Yumi-chan!" Yalenchka called, going and grabbing his Papa's hand. "Oh, Yumi-chan!"

"Yeah?"

"Your dress looks really pretty on you!"

Yumiko flushed and looked down, grasping her mom's hand and smiling. "T-Thank you!"

 **And that, my friends, is where the first book finally ends! I'm glad that you guys have lasted thus long because I was definitely not able to update regularly because of my schedule, but I'm glad to those of you who are still here!**

 **Thank you guys so much for reading!**

 **The Sequel should be coming in the soon future, so go ahead and look out for it!**

 **For now, I bid** _ **the**_ **adieu!**

 **~Silver**


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